A new study by UCLA and and Danish researchers has raised another cell phone health issue.
After surveying more than 13,000 children, the scientists have concluded that women who used a cell phone while pregnant are much more likely to have unruly children.
While previous health studies have linked radiation from cell phones with potential tumor formation, this is the first research to tie cell phone use to behavioral issues.
The researchers said children of mothers who used cell phones while pregnant, even infrequently, ran a higher risk of developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotional control, and relationships by the time they started school. The risk increased if the children themselves used cell phones before age seven.
Since the researchers could not pinpoint a reason that cell phone use could affect behavior, critics may suggest that the link may not actually exist. Instead, the link might be explained by cultural factors.
The researchers themselves do not discount that notion. They admit the results could have other reasons, such as that mothers who tended to talk on the phone a lot might pay less attention to their children. They say the study "should be interpreted with caution" and checked by further studies.
Greater risks
The risk of behavioral problems may pale in comparison to the possible effects of radiation highlighted earlier this year by British health researcher Dr. Vini Khurana.
"Mobile phones could have health consequences far greater than asbestos and smoking," he said.
Khurana a neurosurgeon who has published more than 30 scientific papers reviewed more than 100 studies on the effects of mobile phones. He has written a paper based on the research, which is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.
