Cell Phone Use During Pregnancy May Cause Behavioural Problems in Kids

Women who use mobile phones while pregnant are more likely to give birth to children with behavioural problems, a new research has revealed.

According to a recent research into mobile phone health danger, the use of handheld phones by pregnant women could make the child more likely to develop behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, and emotional and relationship difficulties.

The research revealed that pregnant women who used mobile phones were 54 percent more likely to report behavioral problems in their children than the pregnant women who didn’t use mobile phones, and that the likelihood increases with the amount of potential exposure to the radiationdefine.
The research, published in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine, also shows that using a mobile phone regularly for more than ten years can also increase the risk of potential brain cancerdefine.

Led by Swedish scientists Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro and Professor Kjell Hansson Mild of Umea University, the researchers’ team found that people who had used a mobile phone for a decade or more were twice as likely to develop a malignant tumordefine on the side of the brain where they hold the device.

The research has found that radiation from mobile phones also affected the young children whose mothers used the mobile phone around them. Kids exposed to phones prenatally and in early childhood were 80 percent more likely to develop behavioral difficulties compared to youngsters who had not been exposed to mobile phone radiations. Experts also warned that heavy usage of mobile phones may deter male fertility.

“We strongly recommend the Government actively discourages mobile phone use by children, including making public advice leaflets readily available in NHS waiting rooms across the country,” said Graham Philips, co-author of the study.

"Research into monitoring health effects around mobile phone base stations is now urgently overdue and the Government should allocate funding for this for the protection of the general public." He further added.

Fears about the effects of mobile phones on the brain and on biological processes were indicated in some previous studies as well.

In October last year, Professor Kjell Mild of Sweden's Orbero University revealed in his study that young children are more at risk when using cell phones because of their thinner skulls. He further stated that using cell phones for more than 10 years increases the risk of brain cancer, adding that thinner skulls and developing nervous systems make kids particularly vulnerable to tumors.

In July this year, Dr. Ronald Herberman, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute claimed that excessive use of mobile phones could increase the risk of cancer, especially in children. He even warned his faculty and staff to limit cell phone use as it carries a potential cancer risk.

Although, there is no scientific evidence yet to prove the cancer-causing potential of cell phones, Dr. Herberman strongly recommended his 3,000 faculty members to reduce exposure to the electromagnetic fields of mobiles. He cautioned that children should be especially protected because their brains are still developing.

On the contrary, there are few studies that do not support this notion and label it as ‘sheer myth’.