Oval Cell
Findings Reshape View Of Mobile Phone Danger
Birmingham Post
December 11, 2000
Human cell
shape can amplify the effect of mobile phone radiation on our tissue,
researchers reported today.
Computer
models used to explore the effects of radiation from mobile phones have in the
past treated cells as simple spheres.
But a Spanish
team led by Professor Jose Luis Sebastian at Madrid's University Complutense
has found that the intensity of electric fields induced in cells is heightened
when more realistic geometric shapes are used.
Many human
cells look more like cylinders and rugby balls than spherical balls.
The
researchers calculated electric field intensity induced in simulated
spherical, cylindrical an ellipsoid mammalian cells exposed to radiation.
They found
that for non-spherical cells, the induced electric field was highly dependent
on the angle of the cell in relation to the radiation source.
In particular
it was discovered that the electric field was amplified across the cell
membrane - an effect not taken into account by previous investigations.
Higher field
values were obtained for ellipsoidal and cylindrical cells compared with
spherical cells.
The team also
found that interactions between neighbouring cells significantly modified the
electric field within each cell.
For certain
cell positions, a higher electric field within the membrane was produced,
according to findings reported in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology,
published by the Institute of Physics.
Professor
Sebastian said: 'If we are going to gain an understanding of the mechanisms
that underlie the biological effects caused by electromagnetic radiation, it
is essential to consider the combined effects of shape and cell interaction.'
On Friday,
the Government announced a new pounds 7 million programme of research into the
health aspects of mobile phones.
It has been
suggested that low frequency electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones may
cause health problems ranging from memory loss to brain cancer.
None of these
fears has yet been supported by reliable scientific evidence. However,
research has shown that mobile phone radiation can cause subtle changes in
cells which may or may not be harmful.
For this
reason the Government has adopted a precautionary approach.
