Study Shows Changes in Brain Activity from ‘Acute Cellphone Exposures'
A brain-scan study is raising new questions about the safety of cellphones.
The study showed an increase in activity in the area of the brain closest to the antenna after test subjects held cell phones to their hears for less than an hour, report the New York Times Well blog and the Washington Post.
The study required 47 test subjects to hold cell phones to each of their ears for 50-minute periods, the Times explains. In one test, both cell phones were off. In another, the cell phone at one ear was off and the cell phone at the other ear was on, but on mute. PET scans showed the brains were about 7 percent more active near the switched-on cellphones.
The Times writes that the preliminary findings “are certain to reignite a debate about the safety of cellphones.” A few studies have suggested a link between heavy cellphone use and rare brain tumors, but most of the evidence shows no added risk.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “These results provide evidence that the human brain is sensitive to the effects of … acute cellphone exposures,” the authors wrote. Further studies are needed, they said, to determine whether the changes could be harmful in the long-run.
