Excerpt:

As people are increasingly addicted to their cell phones, it is important to know the unintended costs associated with reaching for this device every spare minute. Although people may assume that it is not different from any other kind of interaction or break, this study shows that the phone might be more cognitively taxing than expected.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044622/

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https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.802386/full

According to the authors, the findings findings suggest that the SNP rs198585630 of the 5-HT_1A receptor is an important target for further research exploring the mechanisms of hypersensitivity to microwave exposure.

The post Associations Between a Polymorphism in the Rat 5-HT1A Receptor Gene Promoter Region (rs198585630) and Cognitive Alterations Induced by Microwave Exposure appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Objective

The global health crisis in the form of COVID-19 has forced people to shift their routine activities into a remote environment with the help of technology. The outbreak of the COVID-19 has caused several organizations to be shut down and forced them to initiate work from home employing technology. Now more than ever, it’s important for people and institutions to understand the impact of excessive use of mobile phone technology and electronic gadgets on human health, cognition, and behavior. It is important to understand their perspective and how individuals are coping with this challenge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation is an effort to answer the research question: whether dependency on technology during lockdown has more effects on human health in comparison to normal times.

Methods

The study included participants from India (n = 122). A questionnaire was framed and the mode of conducting the survey chosen was online to maintain social distancing during the time of the Pandemic. The gathered data was statistically analysed employing RStudio and multiple regression techniques.

Results

The statistical analysis confirms that lockdown scenarios have led to an increase in the usage of mobile phone technology which has been confirmed by around 90% of participants. Moreover, 95% of the participants perceive an increased risk of developing certain health problems due to excessive usage of mobile phones and technology. It has been evaluated that participants under the age group 15–30 years are highly affected (45.9%) during lockdown due to excessive dependence on technology. And, amongst different professions, participants involved in online teaching-learning are the most affected (42.6%).

Conclusion

The findings indicate that dependency on technology during lockdown has more health effects as compared to normal times. So, it is suggested that as more waves of pandemics are being predicted, strategies should be planned to decrease the psychological and physiological effects of the overuse of technology during lockdown due to pandemics. As the lockdown situation unfolds, people and organization functioning styles should be rolled back to the limited dependency on technology.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8456111/

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To see abstracts for the most recent papers (or to download the 770-page document) go to: 

Recent Papers

Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

5G Wireless: Capabilities and Challenges for an Evolving Network (U.S. Government Accountability Office

Health Council of the Netherlands Advisory Report: 5G and Health

Association Between Mobile Phone Radiation Exposure and the Secretion of Melatonin and Cortisol, Two Markers of the Circadian System: A Review

Association between estimated whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields dose and cognitive function in preadolescents and adolescents

Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields from Mobile Communication: Description of Modeled Dose in Brain Regions and the Body in European Children and Adolescents

Effects of different mobile phone UMTS signals on DNA, apoptosis and oxidative stress in human lymphocytes

Comparing chromosome damage induced by mobile telephony radiation and a high caffeine dose: Effect of combination and exposure duration

Effect of mobile phone usage on cognitive functions, sleep pattern, visuospatial ability in Parkinson’s patients; a possible correlation with onset of clinical symptoms

The association of smart mobile phone usage with cognitive function impairment in Saudi adult population

Metabolomics and psychological features in fibromyalgia and electromagnetic sensitivity

The use of a bed with an insulating system of electromagnetic fields improves immune function, redox and inflammatory states, and decrease the rate of aging

Modelling of Total Exposure in Hypothetical 5G Mobile Networks for Varied Topologies and User Scenarios

Radiofrequency exposure of people living near mobile-phone base stations in France

Assessing The Compliance Of Electromagnetic Fields Radiated by Base Stations And wifi Access Points With International Guidelines On University Campus

Radiofrequency Fields and Calcium Movements Into and Out of Cells

Possible effects of different doses of 2.1 GHz electromagnetic radiation on learning, and hippocampal levels of cholinergic biomarkers in Wistar ra

Morphological changes in the vertebrae and central canal of rat pups born after exposure to the electromagnetic field of pregnant rats

Long-term 1800MHz electromagnetic radiation did not induce Balb/c-3T3 cells malignant transformation

Exposure of the SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells to 50-Hz Magnetic Field: Comparison Between Two-Dimensional (2D) and Three-Dimensional (3D) In Vitro Cultures

Effect of Intermittent Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields on Umbilical Cord Blood Lymphocytes

Exposure To Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: An Overview

Physiological Ca 2+ Transients Versus Pathological Steady-State Ca 2+ Elevation, Who Flips the ROS Coin in Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria

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A Critical Review of Digital Technology in Education that should give Policy Makers and Educators Pause for Thought

PDF https://www.radiationresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Digital-Technology-in-Education-Working-Paper-2019.pdf

“Digital Technology is hardly the benign, neutral presence in education that we are often assured it to be”
Selwyn (2015, p. 247)

Abstract

There is a dearth of scientific evidence and evidence-based practice to justify current levels of digital technology use for educational purposes in the classroom and in the home. In contrast, there is a growing body of scientific
studies across several disciplines that highlight the direct and indirect negative effects of Digital Technology use on human cognition, learning, and behaviour. This paper considers objective evidence from peer-reviewed scientific studies in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and related disciplines, as well as the field of education itself, to review the fundamental problems that beset Digital Technology use in education. The paper highlights, for example, that:

(1) Screens lead to sleep disruption and deprivation, which impacts on learning, and is associated with obesity, and
other physical disorders, such as computer vision syndrome;

(2) Computer use in class disrupts the learning process and impairs learning outcomes for users and non-users alike;

(3) Learning with books and paper is superior in comparison to learning with e-books;

(4) Taking notes with pen and paper, as opposed to touch typing lecture notes in class, leads to better learning
outcomes;

(5) Smart phone, iPAD and laptop use result in student distraction and multitasking, which, impair learning and lead to neural addiction problems, such as Internet addiction disorder and other psychological maladies;

(6) There are islands of success in an ocean of failure when it comes to Digital Technology and educational technologies, with researchers arguing that there is little evidence to support the proposition that Digital
Technology and/or EdTech improve pedagogy or learning outcomes;

(7) Finally, basic education about Digital Technology is one topic that needs to find a place in the curriculum. However, as with all Digital Technology initiatives, the introduction of programmes at primary and secondary schools level need to be considered mindfully, with the strengths and limitations of the proposed enabling technologies clearly in focus. All this should give educators, administrators and politicians pause for thought. The paper concludes by discussing its findings, offering practical recommendations, and by suggesting a change in emphasis in pedagogy in and through Digital Technology.

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The post Mobile Phone Base Station Tower Settings Adjacent to School Buildings: Impact on Students’ Cognitive Health. appeared first on EMFSA.

Gupta SK¹, Mesharam MK, Krishnamurthy S.

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Contemporary Mobile Technology and Child and Adolescent Development,
edited by Zheng Yan and Lennart Hardell, May 15, 2017

Article by
Cindy Sage and Ernesto Burgio

Abstract

Mobile phones and other wireless devices that produce electromagnetic fields (EMF) and pulsed radiofrequency radiation (RFR) are widely documented to cause potentially harmful health impacts that can be detrimental to young people. New epigenetic studies are profiled in this review to account for some neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral changes due to exposure to wireless technologies. Symptoms of retarded memory, learning, cognition, attention, and behavioral problems have been reported in numerous studies and are similarly manifested in autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, as a result of EMF and RFR exposures where both epigenetic drivers and genetic (DNA) damage are likely contributors. Technology benefits can be realized by adopting wired devices for education to avoid health risk and promote academic achievement.

Citation Sage, C. and Burgio, E. (2017), Electromagnetic Fields, Pulsed Radiofrequency Radiation, and Epigenetics: How Wireless Technologies May Affect Childhood Development. Child Dev. doi:10.1111/cdev.12824

Contact Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cindy Sage, Sage Associates,
1396 Danielson Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Electronic mail may be sent to sage@silcom.com.

Discussion

The wide array of pathophysiological effects of EMF and RFR exposures from wireless sources do not require “the breaking of molecular bonds” as done by ionizing radiation in order for physiologically damaging effects to occur. Epigenetic mechanisms alone can change fetal development in profound ways, disrupting health by causing changes in gene activation and expression without change in gene sequences. Environmental epigenetic influences in the fetal and neonatal development (i.e., epigenetic regulation of genes rather than direct genetic effects by gene mutation) have been plausibly established to cause pathophysiological changes that can result in altered neurological development. Symptoms of neurodevelopmental problems in children like retarded memory, impaired learning, cognition, attention, and behavioral aberrations that are similarly expressed in autism and ADHD have been reported in numerous scientific studies to occur as a result of EMF and RFR exposures. Epigenetic drivers are the most likely causes, and persistent exposures contribute to chronic dysfunction and addiction that can overwhelm adaptive biological responses.

Epigenetics provides an under-recognized mechanism for the cell phone radiation damage seen in epidemiological studies on humans, and in animal toxicity studies. Epigenetics is redefining the traditional interpretations of ‘Mendelian genes and genetic inheritance’, and legitimizing mechanisms that account for health effects that are already epidemiologically visible.

Epigenetic mechanisms rebut the outdated thinking for experts like David Savitz, a leading US epidemiologist to argue that ” (C)ell phones (and to a lesser extent cordless phones) give off non-ionizing radiation, which unlike ionizing radiation such as X-rays, CT scans and radon do not have the potential to damage DNA. “There is no known pathway for any adverse health effects,” http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/28/health/cell-phones- brain-tumor- risk-berkeley/

Global saturation by wireless device emissions is our largest modifiable and preventable childhood contaminant. It may exacerbate health harm from chemical toxins such as environmental tobacco, mercury, lead and pthalate toxicity that already burden the developing child. We should think first of reducing the body-burden of wireless emissions which cause epigenetic changes leading to cognitive and behavioral issues in the young child, as well as the underlying neurodevelopmental problems of the fetus, before widely prescribing chemical and/or behavioral interventions.

Public health experts, educators and psychologists have gained a strong new tool to argue against pulsed radiofrequency radiation saturation by wireless devices and infrastructure. Wireless exposures are modifiable and largely avoidable by choosing wired for technology access. This may hold the largest potential for global preventative health action we have. In comparison to chemical toxicants and other neurotoxins and neurodevelopmental contaminants, we have a clear and immediate choice to avoid wireless technologies in favor of wired connectivity. Prevention of environmental exposures that can lead to disease and developmental disabilities is within reach, now that we are coming to understand how epigenetic mechanisms can modify the expression of the human genome. http://www.bioinitiative.org/how-wireless-technologies-may-affect-childhood-development/

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