Is Your Cell Phone Killing You?

With the wide spread use of cell phones today, health issues are a concern for many. As you look around, you see children, teenagers, adults and senior citizens who use cell phones on a regular basis. If anyone looking for a job in manufacturing says there is a communication gap in today’s society it isn’t the fault of cell phones. The ranks of cell phone subscribers has swelled to over five billion people this year thanks to the growth of smart phones in developed nations and mobile services in poorer nations, a UN agency has said.

However, due to health concerns, cell phones have come under greater scrutiny today than ever before. According to an article in http://www.cellphonesafety.org/health/ , “Heavy cell-phone use over many years may threaten one’s health, according to well-known environmental activist, cancer epidemiologist, and author Devra Davis, MPH, PhD, who spoke recently at a seminar on the UCSF Parnassus campus.”

“Pressing a cell phone against the ear, day-after-day, year-after-year, and exposing oneself to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation at close range is not good for what’s inside the head,” Davis said, pointing to what she described as “well-conducted, independent epidemiological studies of heavy cell phone use, and to animal experiments.”

“Cell phone use can increase risk for malignant brain cancer and other tumors, including acoustic neuromas and cancers of the salivary and parotid glands,” according to Davis. She noted other studies that suggest cell phone use may be linked to memory loss, insomnia and inflammation, and to infertility in men.” Cell phones alter brain waves in an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain, Davis said.”

With growing concern, it not uncommon for a flurry of articles and studies to come out debunking the concern of cell phone health risks. One article in an online publication called “Cell phone Safety” reports that “Debate and controversy, surrounding the potential cell phone health risks, have grown new legs in the last decade. Fill the world with millions of portable radio wave emitters and some people grow jumpy. Technically speaking wireless hand held phones emit low levels of radio frequencies (RFs) into the environment around us. The culprit for most emissions is the phone’s antenna, internal or external, which sits very close to the user’s head when used as a hand-held device.”

The article goes on to say, “You’ve likely heard a scare story—that someone’s cell phone gave him or her brain cancer. Stories like these surface occasionally in mainstream media only to impel yet another round of short-term studies. Scientists and researchers are constrained by limited studies that bypass theoretical scientific research, which is most successful when carried out over the long term. The only conclusive argument is that further studies on cell phone emissions are necessary.”

The flavor of this article in “Cell phone Safety” does an effective job in discounting the concern of cell phone safety.” It seems to me it is a little too heavy on ridiculing research pointing to the dangers of cell phone use. There is reason to believe it was an article written with support from the cell phone industry. I encourage you to read the article to form your own opinion.

Davis’ new book on cell phone risks, called “Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family,” goes into greater depth in discussing the risks and how to protect you and your family.

Davis is no stranger to challenging what she believes are major corporations’ manipulations of health-risk research and their interpretations of risk studies pertaining to their own products.

In conclusion, the maxim “user beware,” would be wise to follow. Precautionary measures when using your cell phone may be one of the only ways to protect yourself.

Tom Borg is a consultant in leadership management, team building and customer service.