A British consumers group warned that new research shows radiation to the brain might actually increase if the earpiece wire is used and held in certain positions. With well over a quarter of a billion mobile phones in use worldwide, possible health hazards posed by mobile phones have generated intense interest amid fears that low-level radiation could trigger a string of ailments, especially tumours.

The hands-free cellular phone kit became popular as much for safety as for convenience by putting a respectable distance between the mobile microwaves and the human brain. However, Britain's Consumer's Association said the device was unreliable as a safety mechanism. Its latest research shows that the key factor is the distance between the earpiece and the mobile phone antenna.

The association's tests demonstrate that there is a range within which the kits reduce radiation exposure, but on either side of the range the kits can actually work as conductors, amplifying by as much as three and a half times.

E. T. Don't Phone Home!
If you use mobile phones to keep in touch with your kids, think again the radiation may be extra harmful to their young brains, according to a British report. Children who use mobile phones risk suffering memory loss, sleeping disorders and headaches, according to research published in the medical journal The lancet.

British researchers raised new fears over radiation caused by mobile phones, and said that children and teenagers under the age of 18, who represent a quarter of Britain's 25 million mobile users. Radiation is known to affect the brain rhythms, and children are particularly vulnerable.

The effect of microwaves from a mobile phone is a bit like interference on a radio. It has an impact on the stability of cells in the body. The main effects are neurological, causing headaches, memory loss and also sleeping disorders.  These findings came as the British government launched a new task force to study the possible risks of mobile phones. The British government commissioned inquiry into potential risks said last year, that children should be discouraged from using mobile phones.

And No Mobile Phones Before Bed!
Mobile phones affect sleep patterns. Swiss researchers report that using a mobile phone before going to bed can detrimentally affect the quality of sleep. The researchers exposed 16 volunteers to electromagnetic radiation on one side of their head 30 minutes before going to bed.