LONDON - Some of Britain's leading scientists have curbed their use of cellphones because they fear they could damage their health.
The scientists have either drastically reduced the amount of time they use their handsets or have resorted to earpieces in an attempt to keep the microwave radiation away from their brains.
Colin Blakemore, professor of physiology at Oxford University, is the most eminent scientist to have spoken out about the potential risks of cellphones, which are used by millions of people across North America.
In advance of the publication of a government-funded report that will show for the first time that cellphones can cause short-term memory loss, Blakemore warned that there was now strong evidence of an adverse effect on "cognitive function, memory and attention."
Blakemore, who uses his cellphone for less than 10 minutes a day, said that he had experienced an effect and warned there could be serious implications if people used the phones while driving.
"It is a transient effect. I have had the feeling that there has been a gap in experience while I have been on the phone and have not been aware of other things going on.
"This is a much greater worry, especially when people are using the phone while driving. You could turn the brain off, reducing attention to the road," he said.
"The kind of radiation emitted by cellphones can directly affect nerve cells and where you put the phone is very close to the areas involved in short-term memory."
Blakemore, who is a member of the advisory committee for the National Radiological Protection Board, the official body that controls the regulation of cellphones in Britain, said there was no evidence that the radiation caused cancer.
The latest research was conducted by scientists at Bristol Royal Infirmary using human volunteers for the first time.
The Bristol work, is to be published next month in the International Journal of Radiation Biology.
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