Do Mobile Phones Emit Harmful Radiation - Research Paper Example

Do Mobile Phones Emit Harmful Radiations? Name Tutors name Subject Date Introduction Mobile phones are devices that utilize the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit information. Modern cell or mobile phones operate in the microwave range of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is, in the region between 300MHZ and 300GHZ.Both Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),the two dominant mobile phone technologies operate specifically on 900MHZ and 1800MHZ,800MHZ and 1900MHZ bands respectively in the EU region (World health organization, 2010). At such high frequencies, and the fact that mobile phones come close to the human body while being used, there is a growing concern that perhaps the non ionizing radiations associated with these signals could cause harm to humans. The fact that millions of these devices are being manufactured and release in to the world market as many people (4.6 billion according to World Health Organization report of 2012) use them frequently and for long hours, mainly for business and entertainment, it is believed that more people are exposed to health hazards associated with high energy electromagnetic waves (World health organization, 2010). This safety concern is aggravated by the fact that more young people who are believed to be more vulnerable are accessing mobile phones and other wireless devices every day. Many health issues have been associated with mobile phone radiation exposure. These include; interference of electrical impulses of the neurons causing migraines and deafness, high blood pressure, headaches ,burnt skin, fatigue and memory loss among others. In extreme instances cancer and particularly brain tumor has been attributed to continuous use of mobile phones .Several research entities have invested in research into these claims and various opinions are readily available. This issue therefore, is of great importance to individual scholars and the society hence the need to investigate and separate myth from the truth. It follows that the purpose of this paper is to investigate, analyze compare research findings and opinions, and draw conclusions on whether mobile phones emit harmful radiations. Background Electromagnetic radiation is an energy which is a function of frequency that is exhibited by a travelling electromagnetic wave. There are two types of radiations namely ionizing and non ionizing radiations. Ionizing radiations are caused by high energy electromagnetic waves found on the upper section of the spectrum among them X and Gamma rays. Ionizing radiations are strong enough to change the atomic structure of substances. Non ionizing radiations are produced by signals in the region below visible light in the electromagnetic spectrum and are associated with microwave and radio frequencies. They are not strong enough to change atomic structures of substances but may be strong enough to heat up tissues. This document shall concentrate on non ionizing radiations. Communication between the base station and mobile devices via radio frequency channels which are basically made up of electromagnetic signals are dependent on the system power. The radio access network controls the communication and sets the amount of transited power that a mobile phone should possess for a successful call. Mobile equipment that is located far away from the base station antenna use more power than those in the close proximity of the serving tower. Both CDMA and GSM technologies have different mechanism for controlling power but they both achieve the same objective. Exposure to electromagnetic radiation is therefore higher when mobile user is far away from the tower. There are also other factors that affect the amount of radiation emitted by a mobile phone. Faulty phones deviate from the actual power designed to radiate. Counterfeit sets also fail to control the amounts of their radiated power. Apart from the network, mobile handsets are designed to limit the amount of power radiated and hence emitted radiations levels. In GSM, a cell phone should limit its radiations to between 1-2 watts while in CDMA technology a handset limits its power to between 6 and 7 mW. Modern mobile phones radiate lower power than ancient ones because of their sophisticated technology. For instance in the past many mobile phones used large antennae (something which has been eliminated by modern day technology) and this contributed to high radiation levels. National and international regulatory bodies like International Telecommunications Union, ITU, set standards for manufacturers of mobile phones that include the maximum radiated power. In the US, the Federal Communication Commission, FCC, sets the mobile set’s SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) at 1.6w/kg. This is the amount of energy absorbed by the body per kilogram of weight. ICNIRP recommends SAR of 2w/Kg. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) provide guidelines on restrictions of the electric and magnetic field power levels in the frequency bands between 3K to 300MHZ. Such efforts by regulatory bodies to control the amount of radiations that people get exposed to while using mobile phones go a long way in reducing health hazards and complications Opinions from other sources In order to answer the question; ‘do mobile phones emit harmful radiations?’ a comprehensive analysis of information and opinions from other sources, mainly documents and reports from research entities, shall be made. According to author John Ryan Eng of Mobile Phones Sites and RF Radiations [1], the non ionizing radiation from mobile phones is so minimal and compared to radiations from other natural sources like the sun or visible light. He argues that the power radiated by a mobile phone at barely 2 watts, is far much less as compared to radiations from for example microwave oven. He adds that the sophistication in the mobile technology such that the radio frequency channels are multiplexed and compressed, leads to a situation where the power is shared and one phone has to transmit at let us say a eighth of the time ,in the case of eight timeslot channels. Kyhan Abraham, writer of the article, ‘Do Mobile Phones Emit Harmful Radiations?’[2],despite the fact that some doctors advise that limited use of mobile devices is recommended, due to the fact that it is has been proved that while using a mobile phone human body experience rise in blood pressure, there is no concrete evidence that mobile phones radiate harmful energy. According to his article, an experiment was carried out using an egg and 2 mobile phones in the set up below: Fig. Egg experiment: courtesy of Kyhan Abraham (Aruna, Manoj and Dinesh, 2011). After call duration of 65 minutes uninterrupted call, the egg was found to be cooked. This shows that mobile phone radiations can really heat up some tissues. In the Health Evidence Network (HEN), the World Health Organization Europe office, issue of November 2006[3], experiments on radio frequency radiation effects are heterogeneous and broad (Aruna, Manoj and Dinesh, 2011). To demystify the issue of whether mobile phone radiations are harmful, the study of cell culture tissue, animal laboratory experiments as well as volunteering human beings. The studies mainly focus on the changes in brain due to exposure of radiations to the head. It claims that the studies find small and reversible physiological and biological changes that might not necessary cause disease or significant form of injury. Ng Kwan-Hoong ,of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia commission, in the document titled Radiation, Mobile Phones, Base Stations and Your Health ,describes seven myths about mobile phone radiations (Kwan-Hoong, 2003). These are; mobile phones cause brain cancer, mobile phones can cook a man’s brain, using a phone in the car shields you from harmful radiations, base stations are more dangerous, cases of brain cancer have increased as the number and use of mobile phone increases, using mobile phones give headache, no one is investigating the issue. He argues that no evidence has proved any of these allegations and there are continuing efforts to investigate the issues with mobile phone radiations hence the he concludes that the claims can suitable be placed under myths. The royal society of Canada in 1999,claimed that there was no consistency in the increase in health risk due to exposure to mobile phones radiation and radiation from base station are minimal to warrant any health concerns (Crofton, 2010). UK, National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) also in 199 stated that the totality of evidence available does not suggest that use of mobile phones have detrimental effects on human body but recommended further research. The Stewart ,UK report of 2000 concludes that balanced evidence so far suggest that exposure to RF radiation below ICNIRP guidelines do not curse adverse effects to human health . In May 17TH 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) through its agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, published a report in the International Journal of Epidemiology. The document presented the results of analysis of brain cancer, glioma and meningioma due to mobile phone use. The research was done in interphone study centres.An interview based study included 2708 glioma and 2409 meningioma cases, conducted in 13 countries under the same strict rules or protocols (Kerry & Crofton, 2009). This was the largest sample ever on the study of brain tumor due to exposure to mobile phone radiations. The conclusion was that there was no increase in the risk of brain cancer as per the interphone results. However, due at high cumulative call time and change in pattern of phone use behavior, for instance long dwell on the phone and increase in other uses of mobile phone such as internet access, gaming and texting, especially by young people call for further investigations. Conclusion From the in depth analysis, of the credible sources above, two things were evident. Firstly, none of the reports from various research groups and institutions has pointed out a clear link between mobile phone use and health complications nor hazards. Secondly, there is still room to expand the scope of the research and therefore new findings might be imminent .So at this very moment it conclusive that mobile phones do not emit harmful radiations. References: World health organization. (2010). Interphone study reports on mobile phone use and brain cancer risk. International agency for research and cancer. Accessed on 3/11/2013 from http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2010/pdfs/pr200_E.pdf Aruna, T, Manoj, D. and Dinesh. (2011). Effect of mobile phone radiation on brain activity GSM vs. CDMA. International Journal of Science Technology & Management. Vol. 2(2) Ng Kwan-Hoong. (2003). Radiation, Mobile Phones, Base Stations and Your Health. Tam Lye Suan, Millennia Comms. Accessed on 3/11/13 from http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/en/malaysia_mobphone_basestations_and_health.pdf Kerry, C & K, Crofton. (2009). Radiation Rescue. New York: iUniverse Sandra, A & Wendy, S. (2011). Essential Concepts for Healthy Living Update. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Oja, D & June J, P. (2009). Computer Concepts. New York: Cengage Learning. Ellen E. P and Susann M. D. (2011). What Is Psychology? Available Titles Aplia Series. New York: Cengage Learning Crofton, K. (2010). Wireless Radiation Rescue: Safeguarding Your Family from Electro- Pollution. Chicago: Publish Green. Davis, D. (2011). Disconnect: The Truth about Mobile Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It and How to Protect Your Family. Washington: Scribe Publications Carlo, G and Martin S. (2002). Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age. Ohio: Basic Books Read More

National and international regulatory bodies like International Telecommunications Union, ITU, set standards for manufacturers of mobile phones that include the maximum radiated power. In the US, the Federal Communication Commission, FCC, sets the mobile set’s SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) at 1.6w/kg. This is the amount of energy absorbed by the body per kilogram of weight. ICNIRP recommends SAR of 2w/Kg. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) provide guidelines on restrictions of the electric and magnetic field power levels in the frequency bands between 3K to 300MHZ.

Such efforts by regulatory bodies to control the amount of radiations that people get exposed to while using mobile phones go a long way in reducing health hazards and complications Opinions from other sources In order to answer the question; ‘do mobile phones emit harmful radiations?’ a comprehensive analysis of information and opinions from other sources, mainly documents and reports from research entities, shall be made.

According to author John Ryan Eng of Mobile Phones Sites and RF Radiations [1], the non ionizing radiation from mobile phones is so minimal and compared to radiations from other natural sources like the sun or visible light. He argues that the power radiated by a mobile phone at barely 2 watts, is far much less as compared to radiations from for example microwave oven. He adds that the sophistication in the mobile technology such that the radio frequency channels are multiplexed and compressed, leads to a situation where the power is shared and one phone has to transmit at let us say a eighth of the time ,in the case of eight timeslot channels.

Kyhan Abraham, writer of the article, ‘Do Mobile Phones Emit Harmful Radiations?’[2],despite the fact that some doctors advise that limited use of mobile devices is recommended, due to the fact that it is has been proved that while using a mobile phone human body experience rise in blood pressure, there is no concrete evidence that mobile phones radiate harmful energy. According to his article, an experiment was carried out using an egg and 2 mobile phones in the set up below: Fig.

Egg experiment: courtesy of Kyhan Abraham (Aruna, Manoj and Dinesh, 2011). After call duration of 65 minutes uninterrupted call, the egg was found to be cooked. This shows that mobile phone radiations can really heat up some tissues. In the Health Evidence Network (HEN), the World Health Organization Europe office, issue of November 2006[3], experiments on radio frequency radiation effects are heterogeneous and broad (Aruna, Manoj and Dinesh, 2011). To demystify the issue of whether mobile phone radiations are harmful, the study of cell culture tissue, animal laboratory experiments as well as volunteering human beings.

The studies mainly focus on the changes in brain due to exposure of radiations to the head. It claims that the studies find small and reversible physiological and biological changes that might not necessary cause disease or significant form of injury. Ng Kwan-Hoong ,of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia commission, in the document titled Radiation, Mobile Phones, Base Stations and Your Health ,describes seven myths about mobile phone radiations (Kwan-Hoong, 2003). These are; mobile phones cause brain cancer, mobile phones can cook a man’s brain, using a phone in the car shields you from harmful radiations, base stations are more dangerous, cases of brain cancer have increased as the number and use of mobile phone increases, using mobile phones give headache, no one is investigating the issue.

He argues that no evidence has proved any of these allegations and there are continuing efforts to investigate the issues with mobile phone radiations hence the he concludes that the claims can suitable be placed under myths. The royal society of Canada in 1999,claimed that there was no consistency in the increase in health risk due to exposure to mobile phones radiation and radiation from base station are minimal to warrant any health concerns (Crofton, 2010).

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