Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure and Brain Glucose Metabolism
- Henry Lai, PhD;
- Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD
- Author Affiliations: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle (Dr Lai); and Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden (Dr Hardell).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- BRAIN
- BRAIN CHEMISTRY
- CELLULAR PHONE
- ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
- ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
- GLUCOSE
- METABOLISM
- PUBLIC HEALTH
- RADIATION EFFECTS
- RADIO WAVES
- TELEPHONE
The majority of the radiofrequency energy emitted by a cellular telephone is absorbed by the hand and head of the user. The total energy absorbed is a function of the specific absorption rate, duration of use, and the manner in which the phone is used. In addition to concerns about potential harmful effects of such exposure, such as the issue of risk of brain cancer, change in brain function related to cell phone radiofrequencies also is of concern. Studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of cell phone use on brain electrical activities, neurophysiology, and behavior. The study by Volkow and colleagues in this issue of JAMA1 is the first investigation in humans of glucose metabolism in the brain after cell phone use.
The investigators placed cell phones on the left and right ears of 47 healthy participants and used positron emission tomography with injection of (18F)fluorodeoxyglucose …
