Do Cell Phones Present Health Risks?

A massive increase in cell phone popularity since the early to mid 90s has included a rising fear of the supposed health risks associated with increased cell phone usage. Of all the alleged risks, brain tumors are the most worrisome. Despite such fears, no research has conclusively proved any health hazards.

“Dropping Fears Not Calls”Mobile phones are unlikely to cause cancer because their radio-frequency waves do not output enough energy to break the molecular bond inside cells. This is in contrast to ionizing radiation from sources such as x-rays and UV radiation, which are energetic enough to break the bonds in key molecules, leading to cancerous mutation. The non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation from a cell phone is too weak to break these bonds. In addition to cell phone signals, this non-ionizing radiation is constantly surrounding us in the form of TVs, radios, wireless signals, etc. If this form of radiation did indeed cause cancer we would see many more cancer patients.

“There is no scientific evidence that low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and other devices causes adverse health effects.”-Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Scientific ResearchIn what remains the largest amount of data yet on the subject, Danish researchers studied 358,403 mobile phone subscribers over an 18-year period and found no evidence of a risk in brain tumors. Another recent study of Americans found that, as cell phones grew exponentially from 1992-2008, brain cancer rates remained stable. In Sept. 2012, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health claimed “the risk assessment has negligible uncertainty.”

Extreme MeasuresIf you still wish to limit your exposure to electromagnetic radiation from your cell phone, you can use speaker mode or a headset to place more distance between yourself and the device. Some products claim to shield the user from RF absorption. These products can range from a special case to simply a metallic accessory attached to the phone. Studies have shown that these products generally do not work as advertised.

Resources

•http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57515264/study-no-scientific-evidence-that-cell-phones-are-harmful/

•http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20123465-10391704.html

•http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d6387

•http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/student-voices/cell_phones_and_health_hazards

•http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ucm116282.htm

•http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ucm116293.htm