Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/11/08/link_between_mobile_phones/

Link between mobile phones and Alzheimer's – more evidence

Swedish research finds range of brain disorders triggered by microwaves

By Team Register

Posted in On-Prem, 8th November 1999 13:18 GMT

Just two minutes spent chatting on a mobile phone can give you the memory of a goldfish.

Researchers in Sweden have found that radiation emissions from mobiles can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease.

Rats were exposed to microwave pulses similar to those from a mobile phone by scientists at the University of Lund.

They found that after two minutes of zapping, the rodents' immune systems were damaged, the Daily Mail reported this weekend.

This allowed dangerous toxins and proteins to travel from the blood and enter the brain. Once in the brain tissue, there was a higher risk of developing brain or nerve diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis.

Professor Leif Salford, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the Mail: "We saw the opening of the blood-brain barrier even after a short exposure to radiation at the same level as mobile phones.

"We are not sure yet whether this is a harmful effect, but it seems that molecules such as proteins and toxins can pass out of the blood while the phone is switched on and cross into the brain."

This is the latest in a mountain of research pointing to the health risks of mobiles. Earlier this year, similar evidence from UK research was found.

Mobile phones stand accused of causing cancer, frying the brain, and even loosening the bowels.

But mobile phone manufacturers are still adamant that they pose no risk to health.

This was supported by an article in the New Scientist earlier this year, which stated that "a mild bout of exercise will heat your head more than the puny microwaves that the devices emit".

The jury is still out officially, with MPs last month deciding there was no concrete evidence on the issue.

Around 20 million Brits have a mobile. ®

For more brain-curdling info, check out Microwave News