Are Mobile Phones Hazardous Essay

8/13/2019 Are Mobile Phones Hazardous Essay

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Physics 155 Are Mobile phones Hazardous? Nikolas Johnston

Are mobile phones hazardous? : A look in to the potential harms of modern day

cell ular technologies.

Mobile phones are one of the most prevalent technologies in the current age, with

five-hundred million people worldwide owning one or more personal mobile phones

according to Maier et al. (2000). Their use has become significantly widespread and

frequent and thus any potential health hazards associated with their use have been of

specific interest to both scientists and the general population for a long period. In

function mobile phones act as radio devices, which are able to both send and receive

radiation in the form of microwaves (these are frequencies in the range of 900-1800

MHz). These waves are received with an antenna, which is in close proximity to the

head of the user. The modern mobile phone also contains a rechargeable battery as a

standard an input pad and display screen all of which have the capacity to generate

significant amounts of heat. Thus in normal everyday use harm from cellular

technology has the potential to cause harm in several main ways.

Only of the greatest potential harms of the microwave radiation is the ability

of biological tissue to absorb this radiation as heat energy (especially in tissues with

high water content.) This increase in temperature can lead to changes in physiological

function and in extreme cases cause irreparable damage specifically in systems that

rely on enzymes for function, as enzymes have an optimum functional temperature

and past this can permanently denature and cease to function. A separate study

performed by the world health organization (WHO) into the effect of electromagnetic

fields which identifies the ability of microwave radiation to exhibit a torque on small

molecules with negative effect (specifically for sexual gametes, which can become

infertile). Similarly, areas of low blood flow can be of particular thermal vulnerability

(the eyes and the testes), which is of particular interest because these areas lie in close

proximity to the mobile phone whilst it is in use. It can then be seen that there is

considerable potential for the mobile phone to be thermally hazardous. However there

have been attempts to minimize the threat of use through the instigation of safety

standards and guidelines to ensure the amount of radiation emitted from mobile

phones and base stations is of a frequency and intensity below that which would be

thermally dangerous to human tissues.

Nikolas Johnston

Monday 10:30 A.M.



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The possible physiological effects that can come about via the thermal effects

of mobile phones is incredibly varied and the considerable study into the multiple

effects that the electromagnetic field that mobile phones produce, with many

significant positive results. Most striking of these results being the effect of both low

and high level electromagnetic fields on heart rate variability (HRV), the time interval

between heart beats (measured via a beat to beat interval), shown by both Thajudin

A.V.I. et al (2008) and further reinforced three year later by Yilmaz D. et al (2010).

In both cases, it was found that HRV increased with both high and low

electromagnetic fields as well as with the mobile phone placed on the head and on the

ear. Similar to this the electromagnetic field produced by mobile phones has been

similarly identified as affecting cerebral blood flow, brain electrical activity, brain

excitability and the blood brain barrier. According to Yilmaz D. et al (2010), all these

effects can be linked to a single source the Autonomic nervous system, which is

thrown into an imbalance by the possible effects of cellular radiation on the above

areas. This in turn can lead to body wide physiological variation as the autonomic

nervous system attempts to auto regulate physiological function back to a point of

balance. Thus, mobile phones can have a much wider physiological effect then what

was previously hypothesized.

In contrast to this, there has been more research into the potential non-thermal

effects of mobile phones on the human body. These effects appear to be linked to the

electrochemical nature of the body and how this interacts with the wave properties of

microwave radiation (Hyland, G.J. 2000). Microwave radiation has the ability to

interfere with electrical activity in the body due to the similar frequencies of both thehuman body and microwaves. Thus, many of the bodies processes that have an

electrochemical basis (metabolism of note) and occur at a specific frequency have the

potential to be manipulated or respond to microwave radiation at a similar frequency.

Thus unlike thermal effects which are a direct effect of the radiation on human cells

and tissues, non-thermal effects are more likely to come about via “oscillatory

similarities” (Hyland, G.J. 2000) between human electrical signals and the microwave

radiation able to be produced by mobile phones. Hyland, G.J. (2000) explained via an

astute example the human vulnerability to non- thermal, electromagnetic influence via



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“the ability of a light flashing at about 15 Hz to induce seizures in people with

photosensitive epilepsy.” He goes on to say that much like any cell responding to the

non-thermal effects of microwave radiation: “It is not so much the amount of energy

absorbed from the light that provokes the seizure, but rather the information

transmitted to the brain by the (coherent) regularity of its flashing, at a frequency that

the brain “recognises” because it matches or is close to a frequency utilised by the

brain itself.” It can thus be seen that as well as thermally there is potential for mobile

phones and cellular technologies to be of non-thermal to be hazardous to the human

body. However, no solid scientific studies have been undertaken to link specific

symptoms or illness to the microwave radiation emitted by mobile phones.

Not all research into the potential hazards of cellular technologies has been

negative, however, many epidemiological studies have been undertaken which show

that there is little to know significant link between the use of mobile phones and

particular illnesses. A study performed by Lahkola, A. et al in 2007 studied 5

European countries independently in an attempt to link the formation and risk of

glioma to mobile phone use no link however was found, despite studies into both

analogue and digital signals under both short and extended use. These types of studies

are particularly important in current times as the prevalence of mobiles phonesincreases due to the many diseases that are being blamed on the unseen effects of

regular mobile use, when often times there is no link between the disease and mobile

use. Thus by eliminating such diseases and symptoms as caused by mobile phones a

greater understanding of the current hazards and those that can present themselves in

the future can be more successfully identified.

In conclusion, it can be seen that there are many aspects of the form and

function of the cellular technology present in mobile phones that could be hazardous

to the human body. Most significantly the thermal and non-thermal effects of the

microwave radiation that is produced in the use of the mobile phone, which is of

considerably more risk considering the proximity to particularly venerable areas such

as the head and genital region while in use or standby. There has been identified

physiological harm caused by mobile phones by numerous scientific studies

specifically in the form of manipulation of the central and autonomic nervous

systems, which in turn leads to changes in cerebral blood flow, brain electrical



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activity, the blood brain barrier and heart rate variability. While there is considerable

evidence for the potential harms of mobile phones, it can also be identified that there

are many symptoms and diseases previously identified as a directly caused by mobile

phone use, which have now been disproved through rigorous epidemiological studies.

In turn it can be seen that while there is a clear potential for mobile phones and indeed

all cellular technology to be hazardous in use, whether there is an acute harm to the

human in the everyday use of a mobile phone is unable to yet be clearly and

scientifically established. Nevertheless, it can be undoubtedly stated that the

technologies present in mobile phones have strong potential to, and in some cases are

hazardous and there is undeniable merit in the continuation of study in the areas of

cellular technologies and indeed cellular technologies and its direct effect on the

human body.

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Are Mobile Phones Hazardous Essay