back to article Mobile phones immobilise bones

Forget about brain tumours, mobile phones may also cause your bones to crumble, scientists in Argentina appear to have discovered. Medical researchers at the National University of Cuyo believe that cellular phones may increase the likelihood of developing Osteoporosis, a skeletal disease characterised by reduced bone mass and …

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  1. tirk
    Happy

    Sample size

    The sample size, at 48, seems a bit small, especially when the team "noted that the phone users were generally younger and weighed less" which implies a skewed sample too. Given the lack of any credible mechanism for low energy RF from mobiles interacting with body tissue, I'm not worried yet.

  2. lIsRT
    WTF?

    Crap. I need to buy a manbag now.

    Could you clarify the following please?

    "the fellows with phones showed "significantly lower" bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) between the upper right femur - near where the phone was carried - and the upper left femur."

    As it stands, this appears to be saying the BMC/BMD were lower in the pelvis (i.e. between the upper left and upper right femurs).

    I suspect it means:

    "the fellows with phones showed "significantly lower" bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in the upper right femur - near where the phone was carried - compared to the upper left femur."

    ...or am I just being pedantic?

    In any case, I'm now wondering where I should keep my phone, there aren't really any places someone as skinny as I am can put it that aren't near any bones.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dr Davros

    It happened to me - I used a mobile phone and then all my bones fell out!

    Now my doctor 's saying I'll have to be put into a MkIII travel machine or sommat? Dunno.

  4. Retinaburn

    Or maybe

    it could be that from continually having your phone in that position it might of caused some wear on the bones and therefore they would show a difference to the other side??

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      to rub or not to rub

      ...or most men wank with their right hand?

      Paris, because she's got money for me to sue when I get Osteoporosis.

  5. Just Thinking

    Explains a lot

    Ever noticed how someone on a mobile invariably walks around in a large circle?

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge
      Coat

      That's just advanced planning..

      They're about to lie down. No idea if that is because of expected bone wear, though.

  6. Filippo Silver badge
    WTF?

    may & might

    Another study with a small sample size, possibly skewed sample, and suggesting no explanation for exactly how the phone can cause the claimed effect. We've had mobile phones for decades now, if they really have all these harmful effects, then why can't anyone make a decisive, conclusive study with a huge, randomly selected sample? Why hasn't anyone even suggested a possible model of *how* the phone can harm the body?

    Could it be that the things are (*gasp*) not actually unhealthy?

  7. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Charles 9

      It's hard to create a control...

      ...for a FUNCTIONAL device. The reason being the radiation being purported as the cause is in fact the very thing that makes the phone work. So you can't have a control with a functioning device (because it would then emit radiation). And altered function means altered behaviour. Blinding the experiment becomes impossible at this rate.

      Nice thought about the weight, though. How about another test group, this time with the device or weight on the LEFT side, to account for any other form of side-specific bias that may not have to do with the phone.

    2. Ammaross Danan
      Coat

      Control Groups

      This experiment demonstrates the effect of carrying an EM-radiation emitting device on the hip vs no device/weight at all. As stated, the Control group should have been given a hip-holstered, exact-weight/size replica of a dummy device. As commented above, you do not need a radiation-emitting dummy device to be an effective "control." The "control" group is designed to be as-exactly-the-same as the test group(s) as possible. Best way to do this would be to give the control group a dead phone of the same model as the test group. The bone density and mineralization could be due to different stresses on the bone due to a variation of walking with an object on the hip which is (even subconsciously) "in the way" of a normal arm swing when walking. This can cause one to favor the opposite leg and likely lean to the left (in this case) or swing the arm out a bit further on the right (hence the slight left lean to compensate). Thus, a dummy (dead) device would compensate for this potentiality. Short of EMF being generated due to a magnetic field causing power on the circuitry, a "dead" device should work just fine.

  8. techmind

    Proper sample, controls?

    Randomised for left/right pockets?

    People could quite conceivably walk asymmetrically naturally and/or through carrying a bag on one side, leading to mismatched left/right bone density.

    Controls to eliminate mechanical (and/or thermal) effects, such as phone squeezing on leg and causing poor local blood circulation?

    And in other news, pockets full of phones and wallets also "remove" body-hair locally...

  9. heyrick Silver badge

    Willing volunteers or guinea pigs kept in the dark?

    (see subject)

  10. Dante Alighieri
    Flame

    and another thing....

    if both populations have a significant left/right variation then maybe it is normal...

    shame they did not do ANOVA

    or have a decent sample size

    or study

    FUD

  11. Dante Alighieri
    FAIL

    DEXA

    is part of my job

  12. Dante Alighieri
    Flame

    Lies, damn lies and statistics

    both P values are at the significant level of 0.05 fpr variation left/right

    the paper states no difference in mean BMC/BMD

    r value is a coin toss

    I call shenanigans

    Primer of Biomedical Statistics might help the journalist

    I love the smell of male bovine faeces in the morning...

    .

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    On the plus side -

    - it means people who spend a lot of time with mob phones in their hands are going to have weaker fists, hence are less likely to cause trouble.

  14. jai

    so what you're saying is...

    ...the iPhone4's so-called antenna problem is actually helping to save my hips from falling apart?

  15. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    Differences

    Different ages, different lifestyles, different diet - if you don't get enough calcium then the natural process of creating and removing bone mass is biased towards bone removal. The young 'uns should drink more milk. Or something - I've been told to lay off saturated fat, so I don't see why anyone else should get to enjoy it.

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