Mobile phone radiation may affect human foetus

Radiation from mobile phones may affect the brain development of unborn babies, the lead author of a controversial animal study has claimed.

Pregnant mice placed in the vicinity of an active mobile phone gave birth to offspring which showed signs of hyperactivity, anxiety and poor memory.

Infant mice whose mothers were not exposed to the radiation were not affected the same way.

The changes were attributed to impaired development of neurons in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

According to the US scientist who led the research, the same effects could potentially occur in humans.

Professor Hugh Taylor, from Yale University, believes mobile phones might even be partly responsible for rising rates of behavioural disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

However, other experts warned strongly against extrapolating the findings and assuming they were relevant to humans. One called the claims “alarmist and unjustified”.

Prof Taylor said: “This is the first experimental evidence that foetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behaviour.

“The rise in behavioural disorders in human children may be in part due to foetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure.”

He added that more work was needed in humans to investigate the mechanisms involved and establish safe levels of mobile phone exposure during pregnancy.