The emissions are very small but the theory is they can distort the delicate synaptic activity in the brain. This is where both chemical and electrical transmissions occur and even a slight interference could cause problems. I remember laughing two years ago when the only occupied table in a hyper-trendy Japanese restaurant contained two guys both talking volubly on cellphones. At the time it seemed like a quirky scene from a movie. Today I bet I wouldn't notice it.
Cellphones are wallpaper.
Woodgett says he'd be hesitant to scare people off the handy devices, and admits he feels safer when his wife carries one. One concern, he says, is that it can take so long for the effects to become visible, as is the case with Alzheimer's patients. It's possible the effects would not become apparent for 10 or 15 years. Here in Canada, our federal health authorities have quietly convened a panel of the Royal Society to study the health effects of cells. They'll report this month.