Mobile Phone and Diseases A study by
scientists in Finland has found that mobile phone radiation can cause changes in
human cells that might affect the brain, the leader of the research team
said, But Darius Leszczynski, who headed the 2-year study and
will present findings next week at a conference in Quebec(魁北克), said more
research was needed to determine the seriousness of the changes and their impact
on the brain or the body. The study at Finland’s Radiation and
Nuclear Safety Authority found that exposure to radiation from mobile phones can
cause increased activity in hundreds of proteins in human cells grown in a
laboratory, he said. “We know that there is some biological
response. We can detect it with our very sensitive approaches, but we do not
know whether it can have any physiological effects on the human brain or human
body,” Leszczynski said. Nonetheless the study, the initial
findings of which were published last month in the scientific journal
Differentiation, raises new questions about whether mobile phone radiation can
weaken the brain’s protective shield against harmful substances.
The study focused on changes in cells that line blood vessels and on
whether such changes could weaken the functioning of the blood-brain barrier,
which prevents potentially harmful substances from entering the brain from the
bloodstream, Leszczynski said. The study found that a protein
called hsp27 linked to the functioning of the blood-brain barrier showed
increased activity due to irradiation and pointed to a possibility that such
activity could make the shield more permeable(能透过的), he said.
“Increased protein activity might cause cells to shrink—not the blood
vessels but the cells themselves—and then tiny gaps could appear between those
cells through which some molecules could pass.” he said.
Leszczynski declined to speculate on what kind of health risks that could
pose, but said a French study indicated that headache, fatigue and sleep
disorders could result. “These are not life-threatening problems
but can cause a lot of discomfort,” he said, adding that a Swedish group had
also suggested a possible link with Alzheimer’s disease. “Where
the truth is do not know,” he said. Leszczynski said that he,
his wife and children use mobile phones, and he said that he did not think his
study suggested any need for new restrictions on mobile phone
use.
What kind of disease is not caused by the use of mobile phone ______
