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Emily Fowler
Prof Jackie Hymes
English 114 A
November 3, 2014
Could Cell Phones Be Harmful?
The article I chose to analyze was an article issued by the National Cancer Institute. The
article is called, Cell Phones and Cancer Risks. (NCA) This article discusses their views on
how dangerous a cell phone can be and the effects it can have on you. The article has a list of key
points to describe what is going to be discussed in the article. His key points are:
1. Wherever the phone is held, there is radiation that can be absorbed through the tissue in
our bodies
2. The amount of damage done by the radiation depends on how far you are from a
cellphone tower, the kind of phone you have, and how far the antenna is from you
3. Apparently studies show that this radiation causes cancer in the tissues throughout your
head or neck
4. The studies arent accurate because cell phone use and technology constantly is changing
The author also discusses: Why is there concern that cell phones may cause cancer or other
health problems?(NCA)
1. The tissues where the phone is held can absorb the radiation being released from the
phone.
2. That if cellphones do cause cancer, it is concerning because the amount of people
possessing cellphones is increasing at a very fast rate.
3. People are starting to use their cell phones for a longer period of time as the years go by.

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Another topic the author chooses to discuss is: What is radiofrequency energy and how does it
affect the body?(NCA)
1. There are two different types of electromagnetic energy, ionizing and non-ionizing.
2. If you are exposed to this, you can get cancer.
3. The affect of this is to heat the tissue, but it is not strong enough to raise your body
temp.
4. The longer you hold your cell phone near your head, the more glucose is produced,
and it is still unknown if there are health risks due to an unbalance of the glucose.
Another topic discussed is: How is radiofrequency energy exposure measured in epidemiologic
studies?(NCA)
1. They estimated their research through the information they gathered through
interviews and questionnaires. They measured the research through these:
a. How long the cell phone is used
b. How old they were when they first and last used the phone
c. Average number of phone calls
d. How long the cell phone calls are
Another argument in this study was, What has research shown about the possible cancercausing effects of radiofrequency energy?(NCA)
1. These researchers say that there is no evidence that the radiation can cause cancer
or harm.
2. They say that cancer is caused by damage to the DNA and radiation doesnt do
any damage to the DNA.
3. They are still researching whether the radiation could cause brain tumors.

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What do the experts conclude?(NCA)
1. These researchers concluded that it is a possibility for there to be harm to
individuals but there is not enough evidence to thoroughly prove it.
2. The American Cancer Society says that there could be risks but they havent
found any evidence to make that statement true.

I am a skeptic/ unbeliever. I dont think that these researchers have enough

information. I think that they have the right idea and that if they actually were able to
support their arguments with statistics and places where they got their statistics or actual
people who participated with radiation harm they would be successful. Yes, there could
be cancer-causing radiation given off by cellphones, but there is no evidence. They even
say there is not enough evidence. I think they are just trying to scare people and tell
people that now a days they are just on their cell phone too much. The keep saying it
causes cancer and then the DNA isnt even affected. Maybe it could be harmful, maybe it
couldnt, but they dont even have one person who has been diagnosed with radiation
poisoning from their phone to prove this theory true.

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Works Cited:
National Cancer Institute. Cell Phones and Cancer Risks. Cancer.gov. 24 June 2013. Web.
3 November 2014.