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Cell phone networks are becoming increasingly important in the digital age. However, doctors warn against radiation.
Daniel Karmann/dpa
A medical organization is calling for better protection against cell phone radiation. The reason for this is a new study that does not give the all-clear in terms of health risks.
The Doctors for Environmental Protection (AefU) are calling for more caution when dealing with mobile phone radiation. "From a medical point of view, there is a need for action," the organization declared on Monday. The reason for this is a new systematic review published in the journal Environment International at the end of April.
The study, which was conducted at the University of Bern and partly co-financed by the World Health Organization, evaluated 52 animal experiments. The research team found a clear correlation: animals that were exposed to mobile phone radiation were more likely to develop cancer. Tumors were found particularly often in the lymph nodes, liver, lungs, adrenal glands, brain and heart.
The AefU is therefore calling for more research, but at the same time warns against inaction. Radiation exposure is increasing everywhere - at home, at school, at work, the organization emphasized. It recommends reducing exposure immediately.
As around 80 percent of mobile data is used indoors, the doctors recommend relying on wired internet connections inside buildings. The AefU is therefore calling for a rapid expansion of the fiber optic network. Wired internet avoids unnecessary radiation and offers further advantages: no radio radiation, higher performance and lower power consumption.
The organization also sees a need to catch up when it comes to regulating cell phones. France, for example, regularly checks compliance with the limit values. In Switzerland, on the other hand, there are no checks, the AefU criticizes. Consumers should also be better informed about how they can use cell phones and Wi-Fi with low radiation levels.
Last year, the consumer magazine "K-Tipp" revealed that the federal government had delayed checking radiation levels for years - partly because the Federal Council did not provide the necessary funding.
With a view to the further expansion of the mobile phone network, the AefU urges caution. Although the results are not directly transferable to humans, there is growing evidence of a cancer risk in animals. The organization is therefore calling for concrete steps to be taken: "Precaution means avoiding what is avoidable."
