Cellphone Radiation
How many of you have a cell phone on you right now? It seems that everyone has one and it is really no surprise at this day and age. As you can see we are swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation produced by cell phones, laptops, tablets and other electrical devices that are part of modern day life.
But did you know that, according to a study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, people who started using a cell phone before the age of 20 are five times more likely to develop a brain tumor? Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about cell phone radiation, the dangers that these radiations can inflict upon you and how you can protect yourself them.
As you all know, a cell phone is a device that can make and receive calls, texts as well as performing other multimedia tasks over a radio link while the user is moving around. When talking on a cell phone, a transmitter takes the sound of your voice and encodes it into a wave.
This message wave sends it over to the antenna, which signals it out to the cell-phone tower. Once the cell-phone tower receives the signal, it passes it over to the recipient. These waves that make up the encoded signal are made up of electromagnetic radiation. According to the Federal Communications Commission, the electromagnetic radiation is made up of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving at the speed of light.
Therefore, all cell phones emit some amount of electromagnetic radiation. When talking on a mobile phone, most people place the phone against their ear. Given the proximity of the phone to the head, there is a good chance that some of the radiation will be absorbed by human tissue.
Prolonged radiation emitted from mobile phones has shown to have adverse effects on the human body. In fact, results from the Interphone study in Sweden have reported that after a decade of cell-phone use, the chance of getting a brain tumor, specifically on the side of the head where you use the phone, can go up to 40 percent.
Furthermore, Interphone researchers in Israel have found that cell phones can cause tumors of the salivary gland in the cheek. In fact, medical scientist Dr. George Carlo, who lead the first studies of the dangers of cell phone use, concluded that radiation causes the cell membranes to harden, thus, keeping nutrients out and waste products in. By doing so, waste accumulates in the cells, causing it to die.
This results in disruption of intercellular communication. When cells can’t communicate with each other, the result is impaired tissues and organs. Just like in the picture shown, cells can’t keep dangerous chemicals from reaching the brain tissue.
Now that it is known that extensive use of mobile phones can be hazardous to your health, the World Health Organization has listed them in the same carcinogenic hazard category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. Even though these handy devices help us get through the fast-paced life of the modern world, it is very important to keep these preventative measures in mind to reduce to risk of getting cancer or a tumor from cell phone radiation.
First, it is very important to limit the use of cell phones by children and preadolescents. A very vital step is to limit the amount of time you spend on the phone. In addition, when you do talk, try using the speakerphone setting or plugging in earphones to reduce significant amount of radiation to your head.
Also, do not keep your phones under your pillow or even on your bed when you sleep. In addition, it is advised to put a case on your phone to block some of the radiation when they are in your pockets. Overall, I hope you learned about cell phone radiation, the dangers and the preventative actions you can use.
Carrie Siu
