Cell Phones Frying Latino Brains

It’s true. That cell phone you’re using is frying your brain —at least according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. The study found that 50 minute cell phone conversations increased activity in the brain immediately near where the handsets were; in other words, whatever electromagnetic radiation the phone is emitting is affecting your brain’s metabolism.

You say, “Sara, how does this possibly affect Latinos’ brains more than anyone else’s?” I say, look at the data we’ve reported.

Latinos have a 45% penetration rate for smartphones (those that have Internet), higher than the rates for whites and African-Americans. And so Latinos are more likely to access the Internet on their phones than whites — which means, overall, Latinos use their phones more than other ethnic groups in this country.

And if using your phone increases your exposure to electromagnetic radiation that affects your brain, one could assume that using your phone more means there’s more radiation you’re exposed to. But, researchers involved with the study still aren’t sure exactly how this exposure affects brains. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Brain metabolism simply means the neurons have been stimulated – a PET scan would show similar readings if someone was asked to perform a simple task like conjugating a verb – and there’s no evidence that increased brain activity is damaging, even over a long period of time.

Whew! Let’s hope we all dodged that bullet, although I’m going to start using my headset just in case…

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD