Cell phones can affect unborn babies

Researchers have warned that pregnant women using mobile phones may be putting their babies at the risk of developing behavioral problems.

Yale University researchers found that exposure to mobile radiation during pregnancy affects the brain development of babies, leading to ADHD. 

ADHD is a development disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. 

“We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by mobile phone exposure in the womb,” said senior author professor Hugh Taylor. 

After studying the brain activity of adult mice, researchers found that the ones exposed to radiation became more hyperactive with reduced memory capacity. 

A group of British scientists said the study was ‘unjustified’ because the unborn mice would have received a dose of radiation that was proportionally far higher than an unborn baby would get. 

They said mice and humans cannot be compared in this issue as mice are born after 19 days with a less-developed brain compared to human babies. 

They even clarified that the exposed mice in the study could not be translated to complex disorders such as ADHD. They noted that anxiety levels decreased in exposed mice whereas it is typically higher in children with ADHD. 

In a similar study, researchers at the University of California found that children who were exposed to mobile phones in the womb had a 30 percent rise in behavioral difficulties at the age of seven.