Mobile phones and health
Although most studies to date on the health risks of mobile phones find no conclusive evidence, a new study has found mobile phone radiation damages lab DNA. What that means is that when they exposed cells (cultured in the lab) to the same signal level that we regularly receive, it caused the individual strands of DNA in the cells to break more often than normal. While this does happen normally, and is usually repaired by the cell, this would increase the chance of a cell malfunction.
This should be treated with some restraint, though; they haven’t proved that it causes damage in actual living humans. They also haven’t published their results in a peer reviewed journal (that is, a journal where other scientists have checked the work and agreed that their methods and results are sound) so we can’t be absolutely sure that there’s not some error in their work. And just because we talk about “radiation” from your phone doesn’t instantly mean it’s harmful - light is a form of “radiation” too!
All the same, and as many people counsel, it would be sensible not to use a mobile phone more than is “necessary”. For example, even if you get half an hour of free calls a day, use your landline if it’s available, rather than using your mobile constantly. But equally, don’t feel that you can’t call your friends or family to find out where they are, or to chat when they’re out! As more research is conducted, we’ll be better able to assess the risks and learn how to counter them.