The cell phone industry would be happy if everyone would just ignore it.But the topic of cell phone radiation and its link to health problems is only gaining more attention. Independent scientific studies have been coming out that indicate serious health risks with the use of the mobile device.The knee-jerk reaction by the industry is to deny these studies and hold on to their position that mobile phones are safe. Well, let's take a look at some of the research.

A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found that a child exposed to mobile phone radiation in the womb and after birth has a higher risk of behavioral problems by the time the child reaches the age of seven. Over 28,000 seven-year-olds and their mothers participated in the Danish study and the findings were significant. Children exposed to cell phones in the womb and after birth were 50 percent more likely to have behavioral problems. Those exposed while in the womb, but not after birth, were 40 percent more likely to have behavioral problems. And those not exposed to mobile phones while in the womb, but were using them by age seven, exhibited 20 percent more risk to having behavior problems.

The developing tissues of their bodies and brains and their thinner skulls make children more prone to being seriously affected. The latency period for cancer development can take ten years or more, so the cumulative effects of radiation damage may not show up until a decade or more from today. Governments and health experts are being made aware of this, and some countries are either imposing bans or restrictions on children and teenagers under 18 from using the cell phone.

The cell phone radiation issue is such a huge issue that the United Nations got involved. Not too long ago, the World Health Organization released a report that links long term use of the mobile phone with certain types of brain tumor. The $24 million decade-long project surveyed 12,800 people in 13 countries, and included tumor sufferers as well as healthy cell phone users. The report linked mobile phone exposure to three types of brain tumor and a tumor of the salivary gland. The head of the WHO study admits the results are not definitive but in the light of a number of studies which suggest a possible effect of radiofrequency radiation, precautions should be taken. She further stated that children should be discouraged from using the cell phone, although she didn't feel the need to ban them.

More studies need to be done before anything conclusive can be drawn that everybody can agree on. Just like the tobacco health issue, years, even decades, of deliberation and debate will ensue. Hopefully, as more evidence pile up, improvements in the technology will be made to make the mobile device safer for sure. In the meantime, let's use this essential device more wisely.