A Yale expert said limiting a baby's exposure to mobile phone radiation would be 'warranted'
Pregnant women who use mobile phones may be putting their babies at risk of developing behavioural problems, scientists have warned.
Researchers from Yale University found exposure to radiation from mobiles during pregnancy affects the brain development of offspring, potentially leading to greater activity, anxiety and poor memory.
They concluded mobiles could have a negative effect on babies in the womb after studying pregnant mice.
However, a group of British scientists have poured scorn on the study labeling it 'alarmist and unjustified.'
They pointed out that the unborn mice would have received a dose of radiation that was proportionally far higher than an unborn baby would get. They added that while the whole bodies of the mice were exposed a pregnant woman would tend to hold their phone a metre away from their uterus.
The experts, from the University College of London, among others, added that a comparison is impossible between rodents and humans because mice are born after just 19 days with a brain that's at a far earlier stage of development compared to human babies.
The introduction of the Yale study, published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports, focuses on the rising number of ADHD cases in children, implying it could be linked to their research in mice.
ADHD is a development disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Between three and seven per cent of school-age children suffer from the disorder. Affected children tend to perform poorly at school and are at increased risk of delinquency.
Between three and seven per cent of school-age children suffer from the disorder. Affected children tend to perform poorly at school and are at increased risk of delinquency.
Diagnosis has increased at an average rate of three per year since 1997, making the condition 'a growing public concern,' according to the scientists.
The researchers measured the brain electrical activity of adult mice that were exposed to radiation as foetuses and conducted a series of psychological and behavioural tests.
They found that the mice that were exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had increased anxiety and reduced memory capacity.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2115294/Exposing-babies-womb-mobile-phones-lead-behavioural-problems-claim-U-S-cientists.html#ixzz1pDMCPh77
