Are Cell Phones Hazardous to Human Health - Essay Example

?Are Cell Phones Hazardous to Human Health? Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact. Are Cell Phones Hazardous to Human Health? In today’s world mobile phones has become a necessity. It is an inevitable truth that the mobile phone industry has taken everyone by a storm. The cell phones technology has been around for a long period of time, but it has only been the last fifteen years or so that it has been completely integrated into our lives to change the way we communicate with each other forever. The advancement of cell phones changed the entire social rules of human interactions. It has become so much a part of our lives that it is now impossible to live without a cell phone. It has indeed revolutionized the way we communicate with each other as talking to loved ones is now just a touch of our finger tips. Cell phone users increase rapidly and as of 2010, there were more than 303 million subscribers to cell phone service in the United States according to Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. It is beyond doubt that cell phones make our life more convenient, but behind these impressive gadgets we have a negative health impact which could be harmful for human beings. The issue of cell phones has been a long debated one and the phone radiation is still being questioned today. The effect of cell phone radiations and other related hazardous disease is the subject of hot topic debates these days due to the enormous increase in cell phone usage all over the world. Even though cell phones are very useful in today’s global world, several studies have suggested that continued usage of cell phones exposed human to electromagnetic fields which are associated with an elevated risks of cancer and other diseases. The issue of the harmfulness of cell phones is still questioned and many people also claimed that cell phones are not harmful to humans. People, who are of the view that cell phones are not dangerous to human beings, emphasized the fact that the negative impact of cell phones is just a myth created by the media. Many researchers have also claimed that cell phones are not linked to cancer and that it is not dangerous to human health. “Using cell phones doesn't increase children's cancer risk, according to a new study, the latest in a series of papers that find no link between the phones and brain tumors” (Szabo, 2011). According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, children who used cell phones were not more vulnerable to develop brain tumor as compared to children who do not used cell phones. "Scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk for adults or children," (Szabo, 2011). Many scientist are of the view that if cell phones are responsible for brain tumors, researchers would find the tumors on the side of the head where children hold their cell phones. But, this is not the case and moreover, scientist also noted that there has been no increase in brain tumors since cell phones were introduced to the mass population in the 1990. However, despite these claims, many researchers and scientists are still not convinced that there are no direct link to cell phones and other diseases. Despite the claim that cell phones are not dangerous to human beings, several researchers and scientist are of the view that cell phone are indeed dangerous for human beings. According to a research done by Lionel Bercovitch, cell phones are dangerous to human beings as the surface contains some metals such as nickel which can cause skin dermatitis on the users face. Nickel is considered to be the most common contact allergen. It is used by most of the cell phones manufacturer for accessorizing the phone. According to a research, nickel allergy affects up to 17 percent of women and 3 percent of men. This may be because of the fact that women talked more on cell phones and are likely to purchased more accessorized phones. Cellular phone dermatitis is a recently recognized condition and is most often reported in young adults. “Given the widespread use of cell phones, the presence of metal in the exterior casing of these phones and the high prevalence of nickel sensitization in the population, it is not surprising that cell phones can cause allergic contact dermatitis” (Bercovitch, 2008). Many cell phones tested positive for nickel and this is an alarming trend. There are many symptoms for exposure of cell phone allergy. They include red, itchy rashes in areas where the nickel exposed part of the cell phones comes in contact with the face. The cell phone allergy can even affect fingertips and blisters and itchy sores can develop. Cell phones have dangerous health effects on humans. Many diseases related to cell phones are fatal. Several researchers and scientists point out the fact that electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phone damages human and animal cells on the molecular level. These electromagnetic radiations emitted by cell phones are dangerous for human, especially for pregnant women. It is a fact that all cell phones emit some amount of electromagnetic radiation and these can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held. We have two types of electromagnetic radiation- Ionizing radiation and Non-ionizing radiation. The Ionizing radiations are the radiations emitted by cell phones and exposure to this radiation is known to increase the risk of cancer. Given the close proximity of the cell phone and the head, it is very much possible that the radiations emitted by the cell phone can cause some health complications to the users. However, the topic of the real debate is how much radiation should be considered unsafe and the long term effects of radiation exposure to humans. The long term exposure to electromagnetic radiations can cause cancers and other fatal diseases in human beings. With the dramatic increase in the cell phones user and the increase in the numbers of hours spend on cell phones; it is not alarming to know that many users are now complaining about the side effects. Increasing evidences indicates that Cell phones cause cancer, disturbed brain functions and other fatal diseases. Another side effect of the long term usage of cell phone is brain tumor. Cell phones are linked to the increase in brain tumor. As mentioned above, cell phones emit radiations and they affect human brain which causes tumor. It is crucial to be well informed about the health hazards related to cell phones as they are absolutely fatal for human beings. Many studies have indeed claimed that cell phones and brain tumors are not related to each other. But the fact is there are also many researches claiming otherwise. According to Christopher Ketcham, “It's hard to talk about the dangers of cell-phone radiation without sounding like a conspiracy theorist. This is especially true in the United States, where non-industry-funded studies are rare, where legislation protecting the wireless industry from legal challenges has long been in place...” (Ketcham, 2010). This statement is indeed true as many researchers conducted are funded by the cell phones industries to eradicate the possibility of educating the users on the harmful effects of cell phones. The short term exposure to radiation is not harmful; however, a long- term exposure to it is very fatal. According to Melinda Wenner, “Three studies since 1999 indicate that people who have used cell phones for more than a decade may have as much as three times greater risk of developing brain tumors on the side of the head against which they most often hold their phone—an argument for, at the least, shifting ears regularly or, even better, using an earpiece or the speakerphone feature while chatting" (Wenner, 2008). The long term usage of cell phones is indeed harmful and the dangerous fact is that scientists or researchers have not been able to yet fully comprehend the dangers of using cell phones. The dangers of the overuse of cell phones cannot be over emphasized. It is true those cell phones are a part of our lives and that we cannot dispose of it easily. But, it is necessary to know about the consequences of the use of cell phones so that we protect ourselves from the fatal diseases. Cell phones are indeed hazardous to human health, so we should limit the use of it as much as possible. Reference List Bercovitch, L. (2008). Cell Phones Contact Dermatitis with Nickel Allergy. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=2409a3dc-8810-4fc7-b4c7-f92e6f47d9e7%40sessionmgr104&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=27983768 Ketcham, C. (2010). Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health. Conde Nast. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation Szabo, L. (2011). Cellphones Don’t Increase Cancer Risk in Kids, Study Says. USA Today: Gannett Co. Inc. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/07/Cell-phones-dont-increase-cancer-risk-in-kids-study-says/49684308/1 Wenner, M. Fact or Fiction? Cell Phones Can Cause Brain Cancer. Should you be Worried about that Mobile Plastered to Your Ear? Scientific American. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-cell-phones-can-cause-brain-cancer Read More