Why don’t scientists agree about the health effects of exposure to nonionizing radiation?
In my view, there are many reasons, from the economic and political clout of the communications and electrical power industries to our society’s heavy reliance on technologies that emit these types of radiation. But one primary reason for the controversy is the assertion by many physicists that nonionizing radiation cannot have a biological effect because it does not have enough energy to heat tissue — what they call a “thermal” effect. Cell phones, for example, must use radio-frequency radiation levels that do not cause measurable heating. However, there now is scientific evidence suggesting that nonionizing radiation can have biological effects — even if radiation levels do not produce a thermal effect. These include breakage of DNA structure, which can lead to cell mutations and, in turn, to cancer. In addition, studies have linked cell-phone radiation to poor sperm quality and/or reduced sperm count. What is the scientific evidence linking cell-phone use to cancer? Earlier this y
