Electromagnetic safety of children using wireless phones: A literature review

Abstract

In this article, several issues related to the safety of electromagnetic field exposure of children when using wireless devices such as mobile phones are described. The information available in the literature is reviewed and open areas that need to be subject of future research are identified. A lack of proof that dielectric properties change with age and an inconsistency in absorption studies in children is reported. The number of biological studies relevant to children is limited. Only some of the cognitive studies specifically target children and these show no significant effect of exposure. There is also a need to investigate the impact of electromagnetic fields on the developmental process of children. All this makes a definitive answer to the question if children are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than adults impossible. More consistent research will be needed. This study is part of the European COST281 project "Potential Health Implications from Mobile Communication Systems."

Ownership and use of wireless telephones: a population-based study of Swedish children aged 7–14 years

“…Unfortunately, the number of biological studies relevant to this field is limited [4,9], which is one of the reasons why the WHO research agenda [10] from 2006 emphasizes the need for studies on children and radio frequency exposures. This agenda states that research is needed to document the rapidly-changing patterns of wireless communication use because such a large proportion of the population is exposed.…”

Frequent cellular phone use modifies hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis response to a cellular phone call after mental stress in healthy children and adolescents: A pilot study

“…We kept the exposure to field characteristics identical as in typical use (under the ICNIRP limits (ICNIRP, 2009)). The dielectric properties vary over age, tissue of interest, body mass index (Christ et al, 2010;Christopoulou and Nikita, 2008;Davis et al, 2013;Gandhi, 2002;Martens, 2005;Morgan et al, 2014;Peyman, 2011;Wiart et al, 2011). Thus, it was assumed that the variability of the participants' anthropometric characteristics and the plurality of cellular phone models used as well as the surrounding reflecting objects were close to real life conditions and would represent realistic observations.…”

Impacto do uso do telefone celular na saúde de crianças e adolescentes

“…No adulto há tendência de menor dissipação da energia, pois a cartilagem da orelha externa é menos elástica − o que deixa o celular mais distante do crânio −, e a espessura da pele e do crânio é 70% maior do que na criança pequena (18,19) .…”