'Some of the latest science says the answer may be “Yes.” Action Alert!
Wireless internet, cell phones, and smart meters are ubiquitous in the modern world, but some studies have shown that there is reason to be cautious about exposure to microwave radiation (MWR). The federal government, however, is not only asleep at the wheel; it has preempted local communities from rejecting cell phone towers based on very real health concerns. It’s time for federal regulators to take this issue seriously and stop blocking citizens from stepping in when the government fails to act.
Research has shed light on what MWR does at the cellular level. MWR activates voltage-gated calcium channels, which sends a torrent of calcium into our cells. This sets off a chain reaction: excess calcium leads to increased levels of nitric oxide and superoxide, which react together to form peroxynitrite; peroxynitrites break down to form reactive free radicals. Ultimately, this chain reaction from MWR negatively effects mitochondrial function (the “power houses” in each of our cells), causes severe cellular damage, DNA breaks, accelerates aging, and puts us at higher risk for chronic disease.
There’s more. In 2008, scientists from thirteen European countries reported that after a decade of cell phone use, the chance of getting a brain tumor—specifically on the side of the head where you use the phone—goes up as much as 40 percent for adults. An independent study in Sweden concluded that people who started using a cell phone before the age of 20 were five times as likely to develop a brain tumor. Another study reported a nearly 300 percent increased risk of acoustic neuroma, a tumor of the acoustic nerve. The UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer calls MWR a class 2B carcinogen, which means it possibly causes cancer in humans—it’s in the same category as lead, chloroform, gasoline fumes, and the pesticide DDT.
Other studies say that children are at greater risk because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller. The younger the child, the greater the risk; fetuses are particularly vulnerable to MWR.'
Read more: Is Microwave Radiation Making You Sick?
