Calling trouble

mobile phone radiation can cause changes in human cells that might affect the brain, indicates a study conducted by Finland's radiation and nuclear safety authority. According to the study, exposure to radiation from mobile phones can cause increased activity in hundreds of proteins in human cells.

The researchers focused on changes in cells that line blood vessels and on whether such changes could weaken the functioning of the blood-brain barrier which prevents potentially harmful substances from entering the brain from the blood stream. They found that a protein called hsp27 linked to the functioning of the blood-brain barrier showed increased activity due to irradiation and pointed to a possibility that such activity could make the shield more permeable. "Increased protein activity might cause cells to shrink -- not the blood vessels but the cells themselves -- and then tiny gaps could appear between those cells through which some molecules could pass," said Darius Leszczynski, the lead author of the study.

Leszczynski declined to speculate on what kind of health risks that the radiation poses, but said a French study indicated that headache, fatigue and sleep disorders could result. "These are not life-threatening problems but can cause a lot of discomfort," he said, adding that a Swedish group had also suggested a possible link with Alzheimer's disease. "Where the truth is I do not know," he said. Nonetheless the study raises concerns about whether mobile phone radiation can weaken the brain's protective shield against harmful substances.

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