“It [could] be argued that long-lasting and repeated exposure to EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) linked with intense use of cellular phones in daily life might be harmful, or beneficial in brain-diseased subjects,” wrote Dr. Paolo Rossini and colleagues of Fatebenefratelli hospital in Milan.
According to estimates by the cell phone industry, nearly 2 billion people worldwide currently use cell phones, and 500 million of those use a model that emits Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) fields. A number of studies have been conducted on these electromagnetic fields, but results have not been definitive.
The Fatebenefratelli researchers studied 15 young male volunteers who were using a GSM 900 cell phone for 45 minutes, and 12 of the volunteers showed excitability in the area of the cortex that was closest to the phone during use. The affected areas returned to normal within an hour. The scientists reported that, although they did not find any proof of harm from GSM fields, people with conditions like epilepsy could experience a reaction.
“Further studies are needed to better circumstantiate these conditions and to provide safe rules for the use of this increasingly more widespread device,” the report said.
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