Are Mobile or Cellular Phones Dangerous to our Health

The Mobile Phone has now been around since about 1970, not a very long time in the scheme of things. The Cellphone, cellular phone or Mobile Phone as it is called in many places including Australia has become a tool that is almost indispensable.

Almost as common as bums, everyone seems to have one. We have in virtually every country all over the world, huge companies spending millions of Dollars in advertising just to get you to buy a new Mobile or Cell Phone.

Huge companies like Apple with their iPhone, Motorola with their Razr range, Nokia with their you beaut Nokia N97 phone range, just to name a few of the manufacturers.

There will have to be another genre invented, these devices have gone way past being just telephones.

Then you have the myriad of carrier companies with their almost limitless amount of plans. Including companies like AT&T, Verizon, Smart Phone in America. Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone in Australia.

OK now here is the kicker.!!!

I'm not here to sell you a cell phone or even a mobile phone. I'm here to tell you (if you are not aware of it already) that there may be an inherent danger with all mobile phones.

But first a bit of history about myself.

I must declare that I am not a qualified medical person.

I am now retired but throughout my working life I dealt with telecommunications and high-frequency transmitting equipment.

I have seen the results of what high-frequency burns can do to a human body.

I was going to write this Hub about how great an invention is the Cellular Phone!

I am still convinced that it is one of the greatest modern inventions and its use will undoubtedly be extended as time progresses.

However, during my research, I uncovered some disturbing pieces of information that have not been widely circulated and it would be remiss of me not to bring this out into the public arena.

This very important information is quite possibly being kept under wraps due to vested interests?

Cell phones, use a low-level form of microwave radiation to send and receive their signals.

Microwaves, as you know, are used to cook food.

As the radiation penetrates tissue it causes it to heat.

The measurement of Radiation emitted by a mobile phone is called Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

SAR is a measurement of the rate at which radio frequency (RF) energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to the radio-frequency electromagnetic field.

It is defined as the power absorbed per mass of tissue and has units of watts per kilogram.

You can get an idea how the signal is transmitted and received by looking at the diagram.

The signal is relayed to the base station - received and radiated by the base station as Microwaves then picked up by the Antenna on the telephone, converted to Audio or Video and you hear, talk, watch.

Various governments have defined safety limits for exposure to RF energy produced by mobile devices that mainly exposes the head or a limb to the RF energy.

In the United States: The FCC requires that devices sold have a SAR level at or below 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) taken over a volume of 1 gram of tissue. So please check the SAR specification of your mobile device.?

I find it difficult to find a specific SAR for any model phone. Rather they state something to the effect: 'The highest SAR value for this model phone tested by "testing co.name" for use at the ear is X.XXX W/kg. My own phone has a rating of 0.150W/kg.

There has been a long-held belief among some scientists that mobile phone usage can cause brain tumors, due to Radio wave Radiation.

According to the research that I have seen the main worry is the effect that this will have on teens and children.

I personally have noticed how prolific these devices have become among the children and teens of today. Where ever I go I see kids with these phones seemingly glued to their ears.

PROFESSOR DEVRA DAVIS, UNI OF PITTSBURGH CANCER INSTITUTE: has been quoted as saying:

“ When it comes to proof of human harm, we've kind of been led down a garden path that says the only proof that really counts is enough sick or dead people. And I think that approach has got to change and particularly with respect to something like brain cancer. Brain cancer can take 10, 20 or 30 years to develop. It may affect people 30, 40 years after they've been exposed. Our children are using cell phones in growing numbers. They're marketing cell phones now to five-year-olds.”

Dr. Lennart Hardell, from Örebro University in Sweden : (in 2007) reviewed published epidemiological papers and found that:

* Cell phone users had an increased risk of malignant gliomas.

* Link between cell phone use and a higher rate of acoustic neuromas.

* Tumors are more likely to occur on the side of the head that the cellular handset is used.

* One hour of cell phone use per day significantly increases tumor risk after ten years or more.

Dr. Vini Khurana, an Australian neurosurgeon: who self-published a nonpeer reviewed meta-study presented an "increasing body of evidence ... for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumors" and that it "is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking".

This was criticized as ‘…an unbalanced analysis of the literature, which is also selective in support of the author’s claims.’

For something that is according to all experts perfectly safe I find this a rather odd article I found on the FDA website regarding Cell phones and it appears in full:

FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Cell Phones

Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radiation-emitting consumer products such as cell phones and similar wireless devices before they can be sold, as it does with new drugs or medical devices.

However, FDA does have the authority to take action if cell phones are shown to emit radio frequency energy (RF) at a level that is hazardous to the user. In such a case, FDA could require cell phone manufacturers to notify users of the health hazard and to repair, replace or recall the phones so that the hazard no longer exists.

Children and Cell Phones

The scientific evidence does not show a danger to any users of cell phones from RF exposure, including children and teenagers.

The steps adults can take to reduce RF exposure apply to children and teenagers as well.

* Reduce the amount of time spent on the cell phone

* Use speaker mode or a headset to place more distance between the head and the cell phone. Some groups sponsored by other national governments have advised that children be discouraged from using cell phones at all.

For example, The Stewart Report from the United Kingdom made such a recommendation in December 2000. In this report a group of independent experts noted that no evidence exists that using a cell phone causes brain tumors or other ill effects. Their recommendation to limit cell phone use by children was strictly precautionary; it was not based on scientific evidence that any health hazard exists.

FDA Updated October 14, 2008

http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/

To me, it seems rather odd that the FDA, on one hand, states the evidence does not show any danger, but on the other hand gives you the steps to take to reduce exposure.

They are also only working from information from other sources, not their own research.

Now I don't want you to get me wrong I am not saying to panic about cellphones.

What I am trying to get across is that we just do not know and we should be erring on the side of caution and follow the recommendations of the FDA.

I'm sure that the companies like Apple, Nokia, Motorola , Ericson et el will not like what I'm saying but lets ask them if they walk around with their phone stuck in their ears.?

This is something that will not go away and I will be updating this site as and when new information surfaces. If anyone has anything further to add please feel free to comment below or send an email through Hubpages using the link in my profile block.