Cell Phone and the Brain
Cell phone usage has become part of daily life for many Americans. As with any new technology, health risks associated with cell phones are not always apparent and take time to surface. As popularity of this technology increases, so does the research surrounding this topic. One concern leading to an increase in research surrounding this topic is the amount of radiation emitted by a mobile device. This radiation is known as radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) (Agarwal, 2009). According to Agarwal (2009), cell phone companies claim this radiation safe, yet numerous studies on both animals and humans have shown cause for concern. Areas for concern include, but are not limited to, change in cognitive ability and even tumors (Agarwal, 2009; Hardell, 2006). Although federal regulations limit the amount of radiation emitted by one device, studies remain inconclusive as to the safety of these devices at even levels below the regulations (Agarwal, 2009). The literature suggests the effects of cell phones on the brain are inconclusive at this time. Research is limited by measurement and methodology (Regel, 2011). However, given the increasing reliance on this technology and preliminary data that suggests negative effects are possible, this topic proves worthy of discussion. This paper seeks to identify and discuss concerns associated with cell phone use and the brain by investigating two possible areas of concern; cognitive ability and brain cancer.
Speculation regarding the dangers of cell phones stems from the radiation emitted by cell phones. The radiation that is emitted has raised concern among researchers, yet this concern has done little to slow the growth of cell phone use in America or other developed countries. A possible reason for this is the name given to the radiation. The radiation is referred to as "radiofrequency energy." According to Davis (Cell Phone Use- Is it Safe? An Interview with Devra Lee Davis, PhD, MPH., 2011), the language we use to discuss the radiation has led people to believe that it is safe when in actuality, the radiation is microwave energy. Further, Davis states...
, 2006). The authors used "meta-analytic" techniques in this research; twenty-three studies were fed into the meta-analysis strategies and the outcome indicates that there are "clear costs" associated with driving and speaking on a cell phone simultaneously. The biggest "cost" (to driver safety) found through these analyses was "reaction time"; to a lesser degree, lane-keeping performance also carries with it a "cost" when using a cell phone and driving simultaneously. What
A significant portion of the information provided supports that there is cause for concern but there is no significant relationship between cell phones and brain cancers. Other hypothesis that could have been tested could concern effects on skin by the heat emitted from the radiation given off by antennas on cell phones. The article appears to be rather inclusive, and therefore leave little room for misinterpretation. There were so many
As Gale (1986) notes: "There is a silent enemy lurking there." References http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5005377616 Alarm Grows over Mobile Phone Cancer Connection." The Daily Mail (London, England) 3 June 1996: 23. A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001104247 Booker, Susan M. "NTP May Test Cell Phones." Environmental Health Perspectives 108.8 (2000). A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001169992 Brown, Carolyn M. "Bad for Your Health." Black Enterprise Mar. 2000: 59. Cooley, Mason. (1988). City Aphorisms, Fifth Selection, New York. The Columbia World of Quotations. New York: Columbia University
Virtually any observation of people in public would reveal two very distinctive styles of cell phone use. There is one category of user who seems to make every possible effort to conduct cell phone conversations discretely and without unnecessarily broadcasting the content of their conversations to strangers. Unfortunately, there seems to be a much greater preponderance of the second category of user: those who seem to do the exact opposite,
These two cases were examined at two discount rates (5% and 10%) which generated four permutations in total. More specifically, the basic outputs for the analysis relied upon four Kaldor-Hicks Tableaus (representing two impact cases and two discount rates), as indicated in Table 1 and Table 2 respectively. Aggregated net-benefits are represented in the lower right-hand bottom cell and the rest of the tableau illustrates the manner in which
Further, other researchers are coming up with more disturbing reports that indicate possible health implications of cell phone use. There are a number of illnesses and ailments that are associated with cell phone radiation; these include cancer, brain tumors, alzheimer's, parkinson's, fatigue, headaches, sleep disruptions, altered memory function, poor concentration and spatial awareness, and pacemaker disruptions (Mercola, n.d.). Despite the low intensity of cell phone radiation, the similarity between
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