In a report on the respected WebMD website, it was stated that a possible link to asthma from cell phone use has been found. Researchers asked pregnant women who were members of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health plan to wear magnetic field sensors around their waists for 24 hours. The sensors took readings every 10 seconds, recording magnetic field levels of everything the women came into contact with during the day.
The sensors generated a total of 8,640 readings for each mother and baby. Researchers then followed the women and their children for up to 13 years. Children were considered to have asthma if a doctor diagnosed them with the condition twice in the same year.
Compared to children of mothers in the low magnetic field group, who developed asthma at rates that were roughly comparable to the national average, those in the high group had a 350% increased risk of getting the condition, while those in the medium group had a 74% increased risk.
Researchers then ranked those readings from the highest to lowest and picked out the middle number as a way to judge exposure. They then followed the women and their children for up to 13 years. Children were considered to have asthma if a doctor diagnosed them with the condition twice in the same year. Compared to children of mothers in the low magnetic field group, who developed asthma at rates that were roughly comparable to the national average, those in the high group had a 350% increased risk of getting the condition, while those in the medium group had a 74% increased risk.
The association remained even after researchers adjusted their data for things that might independently influence the development of asthma in kids, like age, sex, early birth, low birth weight, breastfeeding, and a family history of the condition.
It is worth noting that they did not measure magnetic fields generated by cell phones or wireless networks, which operate at higher frequencies. Since cell phone radiation has already been definitively linked to cancer in separate studies by both the National Toxicology Program and the Ramazzini Institute, it is certainly possible that the higher frequency of cell phone radiation may also be a factor in causing asthma.
Report Link:
https://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20110801/electromagnetic-fields-linked-asthma-kids#1
National Toxicology Program studies prove link between cell phones and cancer:
Fact Sheet:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/cell_phone_radiofrequency_radiation_studies_508.pdf
YouTube Video:
Ramazzini Institute:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-studies-link-cell-phone-radiation-with-cancer/
