Mobile Phone and Health Problems - Assignment Example

Mobile Phones: Effects of Mobiles on Children (remove this heading and start with just introduction because u will need a front page with this just like you have in a project) (OK IF YOU WANT IT THAT WAY) (Don’t number the headings)Introduction (OK IF YOU WANT IT THAT WAY) Mobile phones are undoubtedly a worthwhile and convenient piece of communication technology. The results from research on the radiofrequency radiation in recent year shows significant evidence that led to the widespread of public concern of its direct effects on brain functions. (Reference) (NO NEED THIS IS JUST AN INTRODUCTION). Although some existing guidelines from (refernce who its from) (NO NEED THIS IS JUST AN INTRODUCTION..details are not suppose to appear in the introduction) suggests that (RF- spell this in full) (READ SECOND SENTENCE ABOVE!) signals do not have adverse effects on the general population .The Mobile Telecommunications and Research Communications Programme (MTHR) in coordination with IEGMP (Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones) identified the possible effects of mobile phone signals to humans particularly children - ( what did they identify in specific? Try and explain what their argument was on the effect of mobile phones. What was their outcome? Did people believe or they just ignored their findings?) (NO NEED NOW! THIS IS ONLY AN INTRODUCTION). this research is based on the negative effects of RF signals on the nervous system and other cognitive functions of children .(what are these negative effects? List them out, for instance if they cause headache, heart burn or deafness. Discuss the effects in full) (DISCUSS IN FULL???? THIS IS AN INTRODUCTION..REMEMBER?. ) i. Background (Discuss the definition of mobile phones, its history, evolution and all relevant discovery on mobile phones) (THIS IS JUST A BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH..WHY DISCUSS THEM HERE IN DETAIL? LITERATURE IS DOWN THERE BELOW) Intrigued by the recent article published in the Guardian newspaper on September 12, 2007 by Alok Jha, stating “mobile phones do not pose health problems to adults and predominantly on children”. (He further of Alok Jha published by the Guardian last September 12, 2007 saying that mobile phones do no pose health problems to adults and children, the author wishes to investigate further on this issue predominantly on children’s health.)…remove all the sentence in the bracket…it does not make sense. I have re-written a new sentence above it for u (RELEVANT AND DO HAVE SENSE..SEE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS) . Through analysis and critical review ( what did this analysis and critical review say? State what it said and how u see it. Compare all the reliable sources that you got, mention them one by one and discuss what they discovered with regards to the effect of mobile on children. Give examples, show diagrams and expand all issues) (THIS IS JUST A BACKGROUNDER! THE ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL REVIEW ARE BELOW!) of relevant and scientific literature published by the government and other reliable sources, this paper will uncover the truth behind RF signal health risk and its detrimental effects on the cognitive functions of children. ii. Analysis and Critical Review (Here you should discuss different people’s work and publication on the effect of mobile phones on children) ( I DID) The possible effects of mobile phone signal on brain functions started soon after the broad introduction of mobile telephony. The fact that mobile phones operates close to the head means that the brain could be subjected to comparatively high levels of radiofrequency exposure ( reference this) (NO NEED..”mobile phones operate near the head” is a common knowledge..you are not aware of that?.) According to MTHR (2007, p.13) this reference is wrong, check it out, (CORRECT! See page 13 ) even before they started the programme, results of studies conducted by Koivisto et. al (2000) and Preece et. al. (1999) (NO NEED TO INCLUDE IN REFERENCE SINCE THEY ARE JUST MENTIONED BY MTHR AS THEIR SOURCE..NOT YOURS AND MINE) already indicates that mobile phones exposure led to faster reaction times in simple cognitive test. These studies they further stated, led to the widespread public awareness since it suggest that RF signals from mobile phones has direct effects on brain function at exposure levels that are at present considered safe. However, these possibilities cannot be ruled out until IEGMP (2000) or the Stewart Committee acknowledged it as an issue extenuating a preventative approach. The Independent Export Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) under its chairperson Sir William Stewart, a British Biochemist and President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (Maisch 2003, p.2) reference properly(use Harvard style) (DONE), started the investigation in response to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Health’s concern over the growing public concern about the possibility of mobile phones effects to health (IEGMP 2000, p..19) (DONE). More importantly, they were convinced to go further by the different issue raised by various groups of scientist in Vienna in 1998 on the biological effects and health risk of RF signal exposures. Some of these issue are the effects of electromagnetic source such as TV and mobile base station in the production of magnetic and electric field in the body that may result in both thermal and non-thermal genetic damaging effect. The energy absorbed from the oscillating effects will increase the temperature that will result in thermal reaction. For instance, electric currents are produced when a reaction from a charge object like the moving ions in our body is combined with the force coming from an electric field. This means that the electrical resistance of a material where the current is flowing produce heat and cause the temperature to rise. This process will continue until it is matched by the rate in which it is removed usually by the blood circulating around our body. However, measuring small changes in temperature directly is not yet possible except for the outer skin. Furthermore, although temperature is a more direct determinant of thermally induced tissue damage, theoretical studies can only measures their specific absorption rates (SAR) or the rate in which radiofrequency penetrates the body measure in (W/kg) watts per kilogram. Moreover, absorption also varies from point to point in the body depending on the conductivity of different types of tissue. Essentially, the report also noted one very significant finding regarding SAR produced by a particular value of electric field that is somewhat larger in children than in adults (IEGMP 2000, p.41; Maisch 2003, p.1) (DONE) This is more prevalent in children because their tissue is inherently contains a large number of ions and therefore has a higher conductivity (IEGMP 2000, p.41) (DONE). In Australia, according to IEGMP (2000, p.98) referring to the works of Hockings et. al. (1996) and McKenzie et.al. (1998), (NO NEED TO INCLUDE IN REFERENCE..THEY ARE JUST USED BY IEGMP AS THEIR SOURCE..NOT YOURS AND MINE..see the phrase “referring to the works of”) Hockings comparison of brain tumours and leukaemia cases among children in three municipalities in Sydney yields approximately 60% excess of leukaemia among children from the three areas close to the television towers. However, when McKenzie explored the same pattern but in an expanded control area, the excess incidence is found to be limited to only one of the three municipalities surrounding the tower indicative that some other factor aside from RF radiation is causing the incidence. Similarly, the committee led by Sir William Stewart (reference properly incuding date) (SEE BELOW..IS IT NOT A REFERENCE TO THIS STATEMENT?) admitted that there are at present no predictable critical effects of mobile phones but if there are, children is more exposed since their budding nervous system and thin skull allows the assimilation of energy in the tissues of the head more rapidly. Moreover, since they started using mobile phones at early age, they will apparently have lengthy period of exposure (Maisch 2003, p.3; Shüz 2004, p.3). This statement is in harmony with the July 2002 report of the U.S. base Science and Public Policy Institute where they claim that unlike adults, emission is more likely to infiltrate profoundly into the skull of young people and brood consequential in more exposure to damaging radio waves. Subsequently, this will result to biological damage similar to the budding brain tissue in children suffering mitosis due to micronuclei in the blood (Maisch 2003, p.3). In Denmark, debate about “Cellular Telephones and Cancer” also expressed concern on children’s vulnerability because their brain cells are still growing thus electromagnetic frequencies can lead to severe brain damage. In the same country, another study from the University of Aarhus reveals the significant change in cell growth in human amnion cell after power lines and mobile phone exposure. More importantly, these cell growth or biological effects were greatest in young and vigorously growing cells and much less in old cells thus microwave fields from mobiles phone can affect children to a much greater degree than adults (Maisch 2003, p.4-5). In England, Dr. Gerard Hyland of the University of Warwick recognizing the IEGMP (2000) report expressed his concern that the absorption of microwaves of the frequency used in mobile telephony is greater particularly at 900MHZ in an object about the size of a child’s head. The thin skull of a child is more penetrable thus; radiation in the child’s brain is greater than adults. In addition, the pulses of microwaves used in GSM are more likely to affect the budding nervous system of a youngster and related brain activity since they do not have enough protection. This is due to the “multi-frame repetition frequency of 8.34HZ and the 2HZ pulsing that distinguish the signal from a phone capable of energy saving discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode positioned in the range of alpha and delta brain wave activities, respectively” (Maisch 2003, p.5). Moreover, he added that when the delta waves vanish and the alpha rhythm become stable and these two persistently shifting specific electrical activities stops when the child reaches twelve, the child’s brain is even more susceptible to interference from the GSM pulsing (Maisch 2003, p.5). In another investigation, supporting these claims is the heat deposition of RF within the head using a 915MHZ dipole antenna with 0.25W time-averaged output similar to a typical mobile phone. The investigation concluded with a SAR of about 1.6W/kg and a maximum rise of brain temperature to 0.11 degrees in a steady state (IEGMP 2000, p.41). When the heat deposition is measured using a 900MHZ and 1800MHZ monopole antenna on a metal box, the temperature rise to almost the same level (0.1 degrees) (IEGMP 2000, p.42). The widespread use of mobile phones particularly in the United Kingdom where 25 million mobile phones in circulation since year 2000, the concern over RF emissions or radiations both from the base station and the handset itself increases. However, the equilibrium of substantiation to date as far as the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) and NRPB (National Radiological and Protection Board) guiding principle is concern, Radiofrequency radiation is not a cause for alarm since it does not have any detrimental effects to the general population health. This is actually contradicting the outcome of the various scientific groups’ laboratory analysis (IEGMP 2000, p.3) because the laboratory investigation on the outcome of RF radiation on humans disclosed the possibility of detrimental consequences of mobile phones signals on brain performance such as focus, concentration, and memory —Preece et. al. 1999 and Koivisto et. al. in press (IEGMP 2000:81). Consequently, since children is more exposed because of their budding nervous system, greater assimilation of energy in the tissues of the head due to their thinner skull, and extended lifetime of exposure, widespread use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged (IEGMP 2000, p.8). In addition, Shüz (2004, p.10) underline the facts that children have a higher cumulative exposure because they use mobile phones more often as they are very familiar with the technology and attracted to the their other features. More importantly, mobile phones gets cheaper and cheaper and fast becoming a device of their everyday life. iii. Conclusion There is no clear indication that mobile phones can directly cause cancer and other life-threatening diseases but the fact that its RF signals are producing heat that can damage brain tissues of children and adults is enough to justify a precautionary approach towards its use. Furthermore, the results of the study showing children as the most vulnerable due to their thinner skull, inherent higher conductivity due to large amounts of ions in their tissue, and longer time exposure apparently makes them more susceptible to disease. In addition, the problem seems to extend far beyond national boundaries, as the global community is also concern and conducting their own scientific investigation on the matter. The EU Commission and the World Health Organization has both issue their precautionary guidelines regarding the issue (IEGMP 2000:109) thus the intensity of the problem concerning mobile phone health risk is not just a matter of scientifically finding the effects but early precaution. In relation, future scientific research should focus on this issue and should try to get a more detailed description of the actual outcomes of RF radiation on children, as this would help in the preparation of public safety policies and regulations. Finally, since there are indeed some electrical activities that could damage delicate tissues in our brain, use of mobile phones by children should be regulated or discourage ultimately. iv. References (THEY ARE DEFINITELY CORRECT IN NUMBERS) IEGMP, 2000, Mobile Phones and Health, Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, United Kingdom Maisch Don, 2003, Children and Cell Phones: Is there a health risk? The case for extra precautions, EMFacts Consultancy, North Hobart, Tasmania, 7002, Australia MTHR, 2007, Mobile Telecommunication and Health Research Programme: Report 2007, Crown Copyright 2007 Reprinted with corrections on October 2007, Produced by the Professional Health Agency for the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme Management Committee, ISBN 978-8-85951-601-3 Schüz Joachim, 2004, Mobile Phone Exposures in Children, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University of Mainz, Germany Read More