Hip
Senior Member
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I just think you have to be careful about mistaking the effects of anxiety about electrical devices, with any actual electromagnetic ill health effects that such devices may or may not produce. It can be an anxiety-provoking concept: invisible radiation that permeates the environment, which you often have no control of, and which probably does have ill health effects. That is a recipe for fear and anxiety.
Even when I read about these things, it starts to provoke anxiety. So you have to be aware of that. I find a good approach to dealing with the anxiety is to think to yourself: OK, so what health benefits might the ambient electromagnetic radiation provide? Most influences provide both positive and negative effects (eg, sunlight causes skin cancer, but also provides vitamin D).
What we really need is more facts. This 2010 review paper, which examined 10 epidemiological studies looking at neurobehavioral effects and cancer in people living at distances of less than 500 meters from cellular base stations, found an increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral symptoms and cancer (in 8 out of 10 studies).
In the case of cancer, one of the studies reviewed found triple the rate of cancers in people living near a cellular base station, and another study reviewed found four times the rate. But these studies just looked at single base station, and we know that cancer rates can vary significantly from one area to the next, so this is probably not very good evidence.
A large study in Bavaria reviewed found no increased risk of cancer near base stations.
The review authors conclude that: "We believe that comprehensive epidemiological studies of long-term mobile phone base station exposure are urgently required to more definitively understand its health impact."
In a review by the WHO, they concluded that :
The WHO did however note that:
What complicates the issue is that research on the biological effects of radio wave electromagnetic radiation has found that the effects are both the frequency and power level specific. So certain mobile phone frequencies might promote cancer, whereas other frequencies might not.
Even when I read about these things, it starts to provoke anxiety. So you have to be aware of that. I find a good approach to dealing with the anxiety is to think to yourself: OK, so what health benefits might the ambient electromagnetic radiation provide? Most influences provide both positive and negative effects (eg, sunlight causes skin cancer, but also provides vitamin D).
I will try to write why I feel so strongly that microwave technology is a serious danger to health.
What we really need is more facts. This 2010 review paper, which examined 10 epidemiological studies looking at neurobehavioral effects and cancer in people living at distances of less than 500 meters from cellular base stations, found an increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral symptoms and cancer (in 8 out of 10 studies).
In the case of cancer, one of the studies reviewed found triple the rate of cancers in people living near a cellular base station, and another study reviewed found four times the rate. But these studies just looked at single base station, and we know that cancer rates can vary significantly from one area to the next, so this is probably not very good evidence.
A large study in Bavaria reviewed found no increased risk of cancer near base stations.
The review authors conclude that: "We believe that comprehensive epidemiological studies of long-term mobile phone base station exposure are urgently required to more definitively understand its health impact."
In a review by the WHO, they concluded that :
our review does not indicate an association between any health outcome and radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure from MPBSs [mobile phone base stations] at levels typically encountered in people’s everyday environment.
The WHO did however note that:
So apart from cancer, it seems nobody has looked at whether there may be other disease clusters around mobile phone base stations.We identified no study that investigated an association between chronic diseases other than cancer and MPBS [mobile phone base station] exposure.
What complicates the issue is that research on the biological effects of radio wave electromagnetic radiation has found that the effects are both the frequency and power level specific. So certain mobile phone frequencies might promote cancer, whereas other frequencies might not.