The development of radiation protection in the 20th century
Whether electromagnetic radiation can have negative effects on the human organism has been the subject of controversial debate for decades. Knowledge and awareness of this has only gradually grown. When radioactivity was discovered at the end of the 19th century, people were fascinated by its properties without realizing the dangers. People wore uranium and other radioactive materials as jewelry and even added them to toothpaste and medicines. The damage to health was immense. The dangers of X-rays were also not recognized at first and “x-rays” were used as a party attraction. When science investigated these phenomena in more detail and finally recognized the dangers, such dangerous behaviours subsided or were banned altogether. Over the course of the 20th century, more and more radiation protection measures came into force. More precise measuring methods were developed, limit values were set and regulations were laid down as to who was allowed to use dangerous radiation and what safety precautions had to be observed.
Technological developments vs. health consequences
Of course, the radiation from cell phones, WLAN and the like cannot be compared 1:1 with radioactivity or X-rays. In the case of radioactive processes and X-rays, we are dealing with so-called ionizing radiation. This means that the energy of the radiation is high enough to electrically charge atoms and molecules and thus destroy them. Effective radiation protection is virtually impossible here. Electrosmog and cell phone radiation are nowhere near as intense. They are non-ionizing radiation. Nevertheless, it can still pose potential health risks. This is why there are safety regulations, rules and limit values to protect people.
The problem, however, is that technical development in some areas is progressing much faster than the investigation of health consequences and radiation protection. Possible long-term damage – as the name suggests – only becomes visible after years or decades. By then, however, the devices have already been used on a gigantic scale. Many scientists and experts are therefore calling for greater caution when dealing with electrosmog, cell phone radiation and WLAN. You can find out more about the possible effects of electrosmog, EMF and electromagnetic radiation here. Take a look at our selection of current studies on the subject, which we have summarized for you.
