title: Electromagnetic irradiation exposure and its bioindication--an overview.
abstract: Man made electromagnetic irradiation and fields cover now the globe due to the recent extensive propagation of mobile telephony. The increased load affects animals and also plants. Especially birds have been studied. Humans are also sensitive. They are good bioindicators as epidemiological methods are available. Humans can also report symptoms which cannot be directly measured with presently available technologies. The nonionizing irradiation can as the ionizing one break the DNA, damage proteins, even increase the blood brain barrier permeability, disturb the night rest, cause fatigue and hormonal disturbances. An increase of the tumours of human head has been described in correlation with the long-term mobile phone use and on that side more exposed. The regulations covering mobile telephony are already about two decades old and need re-evaluation. The multitude of irradiation and the interaction of the different wavelength exposures, i.e., frequency sensitivity is poorly known at present. We should not forget the comparative studies of different species especially those which rely in their lives on electromagnetic orientation physiology. Some countries have issued warnings on the exposures of children. The producers of mobile technology have recently warned the users not to keep those devices in active stage in skin contact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. osmo.hanninen@uef.fi
authors.forename: Osmo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hänninen
authors.forename: Paavo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.forename: Reijo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ekman
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D060733:Electromagnetic Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology