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Heavy Use of Mobile Phones Increases Cancer Risk, Study Finds

Heavy users of wireless mobile phones face increased risks of developing severe brain tumors, according to the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the possible link between cancer and the long-term use of cellular telephones. Researchers at the Swedish National Institute for orking !ife and the "niversity of #erebro compared the mobile phone use of $,$%% people&half of them cancer patients, and the other half healthy people who made up the control group&and made some disturbing discoveries. '(he ".S. )ood and *rug +dministration has since ,uestioned the results of this study. )or information, see )*+ -uestions Results of Study !inking .obile /hones and 0ancer.1 Heavy Mobile Phone Use Increases Cancer Risk +ccording to 23ell Hansson .ild, who led the study, heavy users of mobile phones have a 4$% percent increased risk of developing a malignant tumor on the side of the head where they press the phone to their ear. /ublished in the International +rchives of #ccupational and 5nvironmental Health, the study defines 6heavy use7 as 4,%%% hours of mobile phone use in the course of a decade, which 8corresponds to 9% years: use in the work place for one hour per day.8 #f the 4,4%% cancer patients in the study, who ranged in age from 4% to ;% years old, <%= had a malignant brain tumor and 3ust under one-tenth of that number were heavy mobile phone users. 8#f these <%= cases, ;= were so-called high users of mobile phones, that is they began early to use mobile and>or wireless telephones and used them a lot,8 said the authors of the study in a statement issued by the Institute. In addition, the study concluded that early users, defined as people who started using a mobile phone before age 4%, are also at greater risk of developing a malignant brain tumor. (he study also took into account factors such as smoking habits, working history and e?posure to other known cancer-causing agents. Limit Mobile Calls and Use Handsfree !tions Hansson .ild advised that the best ways for consumers to lower their risk of cancer related to mobile phones are to use their wireless phones less fre,uently and to use handsfree options when they do make or receive mobile calls. He said the research report about the study is not intended to cause public alarm or to raise concerns about widespread risk for the ma3ority of people who use mobile phones. 8It does however give reason to use caution when calling on wireless phones,7 he said in an interview with *ow @ones. 6"se handsfree and avoid wireless when possible.7 S"edish Study #reaks $e" %round (he Swedish study is the first to show a significant link between long-term mobile phone use

and cancer. /revious studies found no evidence that radiation from mobile phones is harmful, but those earlier studies looked at mobile phone use among fewer people over a shorter time. (he Swedish study is the largest and most comprehensive to date. +lso, people in Sweden have been using mobile phones since 9<;$, longer than people in many other countries, so getting a large sample of people who have been using cellular telephones for a long time was relatively easy.

Health effects
(he effect mobile phone radiation has on human health is the sub3ect of recent interest and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world. .obile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, which some believe may be harmful to human health. + large body of research e?ists, both epidemiological and e?perimental, in non-human animals and in humans, of which the ma3ority shows no definite causative relationship between e?posure to mobile phones and harmful biological effects in humans. (his is often paraphrased simply as the balance of evidence showing no harm to humans from mobile phones, although a significant number of individual studies do suggest such a relationship, or are inconclusive. #ther digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation. #n A9 .ay 4%99, the orld Health #rganiBation stated that mobile phone use may possibly represent a long-term health risk,'$C1'$;1 classifying mobile phone radiation as 8possibly carcinogenic to humans8 after a team of scientists reviewed studies on cell phone safety. '$<1 .obile phones are in category 4D, which ranks it alongside coffee and other possibly carcinogenic substances.'=%1'=91 +t least some recent studies have found an association between cell phone use and certain kinds of brain and salivary gland tumors. !ennart Hardell and other authors of a 4%%< metaanalysis of 99 studies from peer-reviewed 3ournals concluded that cell phone usage for at least ten years 8appro?imately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same E:ipsilateral:F side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.8'=41 #ne study of past cell phone use cited in the report showed a 8$%G increased risk for gliomas Ebrain cancerF in the highest category of heavy users Ereported averageH A% minutes per day over a 9%year periodF.8'=A1 (his is a reversal from their prior position that cancer was unlikely to be caused by cellular phones or their base stations and that reviews had found no convincing evidence for other health effects.'$;1'=$1 0ertain countries, including )rance, have warned against the use of cell phones especially by minors due to health risk uncertainties.'==1 However, a study published 4$ .arch 4%94 in the British Medical Journal ,uestioned these estimates, because the increase in brain cancers has not paralleled the increase in mobile phone use.'=I1

Environmental impact
This section requires expansion. (December
2011)

See also: Mobile phone recycling

Studies have shown that around $%-=%G of the environmental impact of a mobile phone occurs during the manufacturing of the printed wiring boards and integrated circuits.'=;1 (he average user replaces their mobile phone every 99 to 9; months.'=<1 (he discarded phones then contribute to electronic waste. .obile phone manufacturers within 5urope are sub3ect to the introduced a mobile phone recycling scheme.'I%1 555 directive. +ustralia

Conflict minerals
See also: Conflict minerals

*emand for metals found in mobile phones is fuelling the 0ongo 0ivil ar. (he war claimed almost =.= million lives.'I91 In a 4%94 news story, The Guardian reported, 8In unsafe mines deep underground in eastern 0ongo, children are working to e?tract minerals essential for the electronics industry. (he profits from the minerals finance the bloodiest conflict since the second world warJ the war has lasted nearly 4% years and has recently flared up again. ... )or the last 9= years, the *emocratic Republic of the 0ongo has been a ma3or source of natural resources for the mobile phone industry.8'I41 )air/hone is an attempt to develop a mobile phone which does not contain conflict minerals.

Ho" Cell Phones &ffect in

ur Lives

As high-end electronics gadgets of modern times, cell phones ha e become one of the basic of our li es. !e eat "ith them, sleep "ith them, tal# "ith them, "or# "ith them$ Some of us e en couldn%t imagine ho" our ex-generation li es "hen these phone on the go aren&t a ailable. !hat "ould "e do "hen our mobile phones suddenly brea# do"n or are stolen' Most of us might immediately buy a ne" one, right' Affordable, high quality phones are at hands, as multiple shopping channels li#e "holesale electronics and online retailers are a ailable. Mobile phones% enormous benefits are undeniable. (. They are life-sa ing tools "hen "e are alone and encounter unexpected troubles. )n the old times, "e only "aited to someone to luc#ily find us "hile "e ha e some accidents - ho" desperate and miserable "e "ere at that time. *ut modern times is different, +ust ta#e out our phone and call ,(( or someone "e familiar. This ad anced electronics gadgets allo" us to transform the passi ity into initiati e. -. They are unmatched, ultra-con enient communication tools. This #ind of communication tools on the go lets us get rid of confinement of corded phones. !e could ma#e calls at any place and any time "e "ant. .lus, their using fee is not expensi e. /. They are fantastic entertainment tools. 0nli#e corded phones, mobile phones let us en+oy more than +ust communication. Most modern cell phones are equipped "ith different games and could play M./1M.2, ideos, T3 programs, etc. They e en ma#e some electronics not so popular li#e T3 and M./.

4o perfect or too good things exist in this balance "orld. Cell phones also ha e bad influence on our en ironment and our health. 5requent cell phone users "ho unhealthily use these gadgets are more li#ely to ha e cell phone elbo", an increased ris# of malignant gliomas, a higher rate of acoustic neuromas, or more 65or details of cell phone ha7ards and healthily "ays of using cell phone, please read 8reen "ays to 0se 9our Cell .hone in Act5ind blog:. So "e should appropriately ta#e ad antage of this #ind of tools. ;et them become a great hand in our li es. *ut don%t let them destroy our li es. !holesale mobile phones, retails, and stores could offer us cheap cell phones, but they couldn%t sa e our health.

Im!act of Cell Phone on Lifestyle of 'outh


Mobile phones ha e such a deep impact on our li es, youngsters in particular, that "e cannot imagine a day "ithout our mobile phones. 5rom morning alarm in our mobile phone, to ordering brea#fast, for scheduling our meetings or planning outing "ith friends, from buying mo ie tic#ets to tra el tic#ets, from do"nloading songs and listening to music to clic#ing pictures and uploading them on some social net"or#ing site. )n short, mobile phone is an integral part of our life. 9oungsters ha e become addicted to this tool of communication. They "ant latest mobile handsets, "ant to carry it to school and use during lectures in colleges. They get scolded by their parents, ignore health ha7ards, arrange money for paying the bills for mobile ser ices by cutting other expenses, carry their mobile phone to the bathroom and restroom, #eep it "ith them "hile sleeping. This research tries to loo# into the minds of this school1college going young generation, and as# them ho" much they are addicted to mobile phone and if they an li e "ithout mobile phone.

Im!act of mobile !hones in daily life


.obile phones are also known as lifesavers as they can help people in emergencies. If you get stuck in the middle of the road and find no one for help, you can 3ust use a mobile phone and call for help. .obile phones are comfortable way of communication over a long distance. +long with the obvious convenience and ,uick access to help in emergencies big and small, mobile phones can be both economical and essential for travelers trying to stay connected. In @apan, mobile phone companies provide immediate notification of earth,uakes and other natural disasters to their customers free of charge. In the event of an emergency, disaster response crews can locate trapped or in3ured people using the signals from their mobile phones or the small detonator of flare in the battery of every cell phoneJ an interactive menu accessible through the phone:s Internet browser notifies the company if the user is safe or in distress. e have also been downloading @ava games and video clips to our mobile phones. Several online mobile phone shops have come up to cater to this increasing demand for the best mobile phone handsets and the most reliable and cost-effective services in the use of the same. +long with all these advantages there are many disadvantages for mobile phone usage. .obile-phone use while driving is common. It is generally agreed that using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is a distraction that brings risk of road traffic accidents. So we

need to use hands free sets to avoid such haBards. (he potential impact of the kind of electromagnetic fields generated by cellular phones on the human brain has received little attention until relatively recently, and itKs probably still much too soon to pronounce on the possible adverse effects of long-term e?posure. +ccumulating evidence indicate that microwave radiation from mobile phones may cause serious diseases and disturbances in the physiology. (his includes an increased cancer risk and genetic damage, disturbed brain function and other effects. .obile phone radiation and health concerns have been raised, especially following the enormous increase in the use of wireless mobile telephony throughout the world. So prolonged use of mobile phone should be avoided. (he head set should be kept at reasonable distance from our head.

Cell Phones( )he Social Im!act of )echnolo*y


(he digital age is upon us. +nd who would have thought it would happen so fastL It seems like only a few years ago when owning a cell phone was a status symbol. Now the device has been marketed as a necessity that we all need to get through the day. In the early days of cell phones I remember that people used to treat them in the same manner that they treated credit cards, only for an emergency. 0ell phones used to be very large and were kept in people:s automobiles. Nobody ever seemed to discuss wireless plans, or the capabilities of their phones. (he only ,uestion people asked were, why did you bring your cordless phone to workL (hat seemed to be the only other time anybody really saw a phone with that appearance. It wasn:t until later models that folded for convenience that it caught on. .arketing is a powerful tool along with innovation. .arketing helps get the word out on the new products. I look at it as the worm on the fishing hook, a few people nibble but after much studies they seem to always get us to bite. e eventually do bite, but I am surprised at the ,uick innovation that seems to occur at a rapid pace every year. +s soon as I received my new !M cell phone, it was soon replaced with a sleeker more attractive phone with more technological features. It seems almost too hard to keep up with. +ll the companies are trying harder and harder for our hard earned dollars. Dut it is not as if they are holding out as long as they can anymore. Now that the market is in a heated competition between such companies as NeriBon, (-.obile, Sprint>Ne?tel, +tO(>0ingular. .any of the companies have combined resources to make forward progress. hen the public thought that phones with color and te?t capabilities was the best thing since sliced bread, out came phones with internet and navigation on the go. (here are live updates for sports, news and other services. Pou can check movie times prices for a new car or ask how your mother is doing all with one amaBing device. (he only issue that I seem to have with technology is privacy. (here is no more privacy it seems. 5very conversation is an open forum or at least it seems that way. It may not be direct

but people hear what you talk about, then transfer that conversation and place it into their own. hich can be a fun debate or a nice way to break the ice. However the rules for doing so are unwritten. Pou do not simply eves drop and then walk up and approach the person biased on their conversation. (he difficult part also is that you can no longer say that you didn:t receive their te?t or call. .any companies give the user features or indicators to tell you if the message was successful or not. Short of saying your phone was off there is literally no e?cuse for not answering a phone (he difficult part about the digital age is that there are no rules. e all have our own personal e?pectations of how people should act in a public setting but that is the most frustrating part. e all want the latest technology, but I do not think that we are ready to accept what we loose because of it. Pes we do gain so much abilities on the go. e are able to do so much now that we never thought was possible in the past. e are all now apart of this technological revolution. hat we forget in all the hustle and bustle is all those things that we loose. In our attempt to have the hottest technology such as the Iphone with the ability to go on to the Internet, watch Pou(ube at will whenever and wherever we desire. hat we loose is the peace and ,uiet of the past. No longer can you enter a coffee shop people watch, and engage in conversation and listen to some soothing 3aBB. (hose days are long gone, now a days we have to ask people as a courtesy to turn their phones of, many people still do not adhere to these re,uests. No more can you sit in a coBy place such as a cafQ or coffee shop as mentioned above. (here is now cell phones buBBing, ringing and the attention is taken away from the environment but into the power we hold in our hands. (he technological age is upon us. +nd we are able to mold what our society will turn into. I never thought that I made a difference or that I would be apart of a uni,ue generation. If you look around though we are all apart of this new age. e can shape and mold it as we wish. (his is only one small aspect of a larger topic. (his is how cell phones have made a small step, yet a large impact as a result on how we all life and interact with the world around us. e now look as if we are talking to ourselves, and its funny yet practical. e complain when others interrupt our dinner, yet at times we are victims of the same crimes we accost others for. /hones have gone from a burden due to siBe, to a burden due to its functionality and various abilities to do so much. /erhaps "ncle Den ESpiderman:s uncleF had it right when he said 8with great power, comes great responsibility.8 I think this is something we should all take the time to think about. How far something you use has come from when you were younger to now and the impact it has made on your life or the lives of others.

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