Pilot Study to Test Effect of Mobile Phone Transmissions On Skin To Begin In Finland

HELSINKI - The radiation watchdog in Finland has decided to test the effects of radiation released from of mobile phones on human proteins by testing them directly on human skin in order to determine if these transmissions are detrimental to human health.

A pilot study that is scheduled to begin sometime next week will expose a small area of skin on the participants' arms to cell phone radiation for about 60 minutes or the duration of a longish phone call. Research professor Dariusz Leszczynski confirmed that a skin sample will then be collected for further studies. In previous tests, researchers had found that cell phone transmissions cause shrinkage in cells, "Cells function in a different way when they are in the body than in laboratory surroundings. Now we want to confirm whether radiation causes cell level changes in humans as well," Leszczynski said. His team hopes to have the results of this study out by the end of the year and hope to solve the riddle of the effect of mobile phone transmissions on health of individuals. Some researchers speculate that the increase in the incidence of brain tumors has come about due to the increase in the usage of cell phones. "If harmful proteins get through to the brain, it could have an indirect link with cancer, but this is pure speculation,” Leszczynski stressed. Finland is the home country of Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer and almost everyone owns a handset here.