Yale study says
unborn mice exposed to cellphone radiation experienced changes in part of the
brain responsible for hyperactivity.
Pregnant women may
have something new to worry about: a new study suggests keeping a cellphone
close to the belly could affect the unborn baby’s health.
Researchers from the
Yale School of Medicine studying mice found that exposure to cellphone
radiation during pregnancy affected the offspring’s brain development and could
cause hyperactivity and memory problems.
“It’s probably safer
for a pregnant woman not to carry their cell phone clipped to their belt or
sleep with the phone near their abdomen unless it’s turned off,” said study
author Dr. Hugh Taylor.
“Fetuses’ developing
brains are fragile and more vulnerable than adults, so it is prudent to keep
the phone at a distance.”
The study, published
Thursday in Scientific Reports, found the cellphone exposure affected the
development of neurons in the same region of the brain responsible for
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Taylor cautioned that
further testing is needed in humans to better understand the mechanisms behind
the findings and to establish safe exposure limits during pregnancy.
Nevertheless, he and
other experts said it would be smart for expectant moms to keep the cellphone
far from their baby bump.
“I also ask my
pregnant patients not to stand in front of their microwaves directly, and when
they carry their phones not to carry them on their waist,” said Dr. JillRabin, head of urogynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
“It’s not that we have absolute proof, but
these studies are being done and we may end up finding out there are issues
with these exposures.”
HaixiaWang, who is expecting her first child in two weeks, said she has held her
phone to her baby to play classical music and wasn’t alarmed by the latest
research.
“You see so many studies,”
said Wang, 39, director of forecasting for a Wall Street marketing firm. “It’s
good to be cautious, but you can go overboard with worry. At night and when I’m
sitting at my desk, I do put it far away from me.”
Dr.Howard Minkoff, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Maimonides Medical
Center in Brooklyn, where more than 7,000 babies are born every year, said the
developing science in this field is worth watching.
An 2010 study on
humans found that exposure to cell phones before birth and afterward may
increase a child’s risk for developing hyperactivity, inattention, and problems
getting along with peers.
“In the absence of
definitive data for our patients, we fall back on old aphorisms — everything in
moderation,” said Minkoff.
BY HEIDI EVANS
http://www.nydailynews.com