Skin Rash? Maybe It's Your Cell Phone
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Journalist: Judy Tidwell
November 21, 2004
Researches Find Mobile Phones Can 'Excite' Antigens
If you have noticed an increase in skin rashes or allergic reactions to dust mites and pollen, your cell phone may be to blame. In what researchers called surprising results, a study indicates radiation emitted by mobile phones may increase allergic reactions.Dr. Hajime Kimata from Unitika Hospital, Kyoto, Japan believes microwaves emitted by mobile handsets can 'excite' antigens - substances which cause allergic reactions - in the bloodstreams of people who already suffer from allergies.
Dr. Kimata tested 52 people who had a history of allergies. They all watched a one-hour video -- half of them while talking on their mobile phones and the other half with their phones turned off.
"When we did blood tests we found that the mobile phones had raised the levels of certain chemicals in the blood which provoke allergic reactions such as eczema, hay fever and asthma," Kimata said.
"We were surprised but we carried out a properly controlled
study. One group of patients had their phones turned on and receiving
for an hour while they watched a video. The second group watched the
same video while having their phones turned off so they couldn't
receive calls. There was a significant increase in allergy levels which
seemed to be linked to the use of mobile phones."
Further testing indicated that the group using mobile phones also had
greater skin reactions when exposed to house dust mites or pollen from
cedar trees.
Previous testing of mobile phones has resulted in
contradictory claims concerning their affect on the health of their
users. In a British study two years ago, researchers could find no
evidence that mobile phones cause any risks to health, but recommended
caution in using handsets, especially for children.
Earlier
this year, researchers in Sweden claimed that mobile phones could
damage key brain cells and trigger the early onset of Alzheimer's
disease. Radiation from mobile phone handsets appeared to damage areas
of the brain associated with learning, memory and movement in
laboratory rats.