INFO 1 06.05.

2020

Before reading the text below, try to answer the following questions:

1. Are you concerned about cellular phone and cellular antenna radiation? Why or why not?
2. Should more studies be done on potential health effects, and if so, who should pay for the
studies? Why?
3. Would you live next to a cellular antenna? Why or why not?

The effect mobile phone radiation has on human health is the subject of recent interest
and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world
(as of June 2009, there were more than 4.3 billion users worldwide). Mobile phones use
electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, and researchers believe this may be either
harmful or beneficial to human health. A large body of research exists, both epidemiological
and experimental, in non-human animals and in humans. Other digital wireless systems, such
as data communication networks produce similar radiation.
The World Health Organization, based upon the consensus view of the scientific and
medical communities, has stated in the past that cancer is unlikely to be caused by cellular
phones or their base stations and that reviews have found no convincing evidence for other
health effects. The WHO expects to make recommendations about mobile phones in 2010.
Some national radiation advisory authorities have recommended measures to minimize
exposure to their citizens as a precautionary approach.
Many scientific studies have investigated possible health effects of mobile phone
radiations. These studies are occasionally reviewed by some scientific committees to assess
overall risks. A recent assessment was published in 2007 by the European Commission
Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). It
concludes that the three lines of evidence, viz. animal, in vitro, and epidemiological studies,
indicate that "exposure to RF fields is unlikely to lead to an increase in cancer in humans."
Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone is absorbed by the human head.
The radio waves emitted by a GSM can have a peak power of 2 watts, and a US analogue
phone had a maximum transmit power of 3.6 watts. Other digital mobile technologies use
lower output power, typically below 1 watt. The maximum power output from a mobile
phone is regulated by the mobile phone standard and by the regulatory agencies in each
country. In most systems the cell phone and the base station check reception quality and
signal strength and the power level is increased or decreased automatically, within a certain
span, to accommodate for different situations such as inside or outside of buildings and
vehicles. The rate at which radiation is absorbed by the human body is measured by the
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), and its maximum levels for modern cell phones have been
set by governmental regulating agencies in many countries. In the USA, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has set a SAR limit of 1.6 W/kg, averaged over a
volume of 1 gram of tissue, for the head. In Europe, the limit is 2 W/kg, averaged over a
volume of 10 grams of tissue. SAR values are heavily dependent on the size of the averaging
volume. Without information about the averaging volume used, comparisons between
different measurements cannot be made. Thus, the European 10-gram ratings should be
compared among themselves, and the American 1-gram ratings should only be compared
among themselves. SAR data for specific mobile phones, along with other useful
information, can be found directly on manufacturers' websites.
Thermal effects: One well-understood effect of microwave radiation is dielectric
heating, in which any dielectric material (such as living tissue) is heated by rotations of polar
molecules induced by the electromagnetic field. In the case of a person using a cell phone,
most of the heating effect will occur at the surface of the head, causing its temperature to
increase by a fraction of a degree. In this case, the level of temperature increase is an order of
magnitude less than that obtained during the exposure of the head to direct sunlight. The
brain's blood circulation is capable of disposing of excess heat by increasing local blood flow.
However, the cornea of the eye does not have this temperature regulation mechanism and
exposure of 2–3 hours' duration has been reported to produce cataracts in rabbits' eyes at SAR
values from 100-140W/kg, which produced lenticular temperatures of 41°C. There were no
cataracts detected in the eyes of monkeys exposed under similar conditions.
Non-thermal effects: The communications protocols used by mobile phones often
result in low-frequency pulsing of the carrier signal. Whether these modulations have
biological significance has been subject to debate. Some researchers have argued that so-
called "non-thermal effects" could be reinterpreted as a normal cellular response to an
increase in temperature. The German biophysicist Roland Glaser, for example, has argued
that there are several thermoreceptor molecules in cells, and that they activate a cascade of
second and third messenger systems, gene expression mechanisms and production of heat
shock proteins in order to defend the cell against metabolic cell stress caused by heat. The
increases in temperature that cause these changes are too small to be detected by studies such
as REFLEX, which base their whole argument on the apparent stability of thermal
equilibrium in their cell cultures.
Along years, many studies of long time exposure to cell phone radiation causing
cancer have been published. Thus, in 2006 a large Danish study about the connection
between mobile phone use and cancer incidence was published. It followed over 420,000
Danish citizens for 20 years and showed no increased risk of cancer. The 13 nation
INTERPHONE project - the largest study of its kind ever undertaken - did not find a solid
link with mobile phones and brain tumours.
Until now, there have been concerns that mobile phones were causing increases in
brain tumours but nothing has been scientifically demonstrated so far. At the same time, it
has been suggested that electromagnetic fields associated with mobile phones may play a role
in speeding up the development of an existing cancer.
In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that the precautionary
principle could be voluntarily adopted in this case. It follows the recommendations of the
European Community for environmental risks. According to the WHO, the "precautionary
principle" is "a risk management policy applied in circumstances with a high degree of
scientific uncertainty, reflecting the need to take action for a potentially serious risk without
awaiting the results of scientific research." Other less stringent recommended approaches are
prudent avoidance principle and ALARA (As Low as Reasonably Achievable). Although all
of these are problematic in application, due to the widespread use and economic importance
of wireless telecommunication systems in modern civilization, there is an increased
popularity of such measures in the general public, though also evidence that such approaches
may increase concern. They involve recommendations such as the minimization of cellphone
usage, the limitation of use by at-risk population (such as children), the adoption of
cellphones and microcells with ALARA levels of radiation, the wider use of hands-free and
earphone technologies such as Bluetooth headsets, the adoption of maximal standards of
exposure, RF field intensity and distance of base stations antennas from human habitations,
and so forth.
Some national radiation advisory authorities, including those of Austria, France,
Germany, and Sweden have recommended measures to minimize exposure to their citizens.
Examples of the recommendations are:

 Use hands-free to decrease the radiation to the head.

 Keep the mobile phone away from the body.
 Do not use telephone in a car without an external antenna.

The use of "hands-free" was not recommended by the British Consumers' Association in a
statement in November 2000 as they believed that exposure was increased. However,
measurements for the (then) UK Department of Trade and Industry and others for the French
l’Agence française de sécurité sanitaire environnementale showed substantial reductions. In
2005 Professor Lawrie Challis and others said clipping a ferrite bead onto hands-free kits
stops the radio waves travelling up the wire and into the head. Several nations have advised
moderate use of mobile phones for children.

(Adapted, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_radiation_and_health)

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think mobile phone usage has increased lately?

2. What kind of radiation is used by mobile phones? What about that used by digital wireless
systems?
3. What is WHO?
4. What was the conclusion of the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging
and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)?
5. What is the watt range of the ratio waves emitted by a GSM?
6. Who regulates the maximum output from a mobile phone?
7. Under what circumstances is the power level of the cell phone modified?
8. Define SAR.
9. What is the SAR limit in the USA? What about Europe?
10. Give the definition of dielectric heating.
11. What part of the body is the most exposed to the thermal effect of using a mobile phone?
How is the excess heat eliminated?
12. What are non-thermal effects of mobile phones?
13. Name at least one research that deals with the connection between mobile phone use and
cancer.
14. What is ’’precautionary principle’’?
15. Name a few recommendations made by some national radiation advisory authorities.
16. Is the use of hands-free healthier?

II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

electromagnetism proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent;
harmful the absolute meter-kilogram-second unit of power equal to the work
done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by
a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt :
1
⁄746 horsepower;
epidemiology a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent
membrane that obstructs the passage of light;
experimental a relatively high level of cultural and technological development;
radiation care taken in advance;
consensus a force relating to electric and magnetic fields or the study of this
force;
to state a branch of science concerned with the application of physical
principles and methods to biological problems;
advisory to determine the importance, size, or value of; to determine the rate
or amount of;
exposure the act of avoiding someone or something;
precaution causing or likely to cause damage;
to review the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties of
the substance and is composed of one or more atoms;
to assess general agreement;
output marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with regard to rule
or standard;
watt used for, relating to or resulting from experiments;
to manufacture discussion of a particular subject that often continues for a long time
and in which people express different opinions;
molecule a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence,
distribution, and control of disease in a population; the sum of the
 factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen;
cornea a sensory end organ that is stimulated by heat or cold;
cataract containing or giving advice;
debate any of various naturally occurring extremely complex substances
that consist of amino-acid residues joined by peptide bonds, contain
the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, usually sulfur,
and occasionally other elements (as phosphorus or iron), and
include many essential biological compounds (as enzymes,
hormones, or antibodies);
biophysics when someone is in a situation where they are not protected from
something dangerous or unpleasant;
thermoreceptor the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and
pupil and admits light to the interior;
protein something produced;
voluntarily energy in the form of heat or light that is sent out as waves that you
cannot see;
stringent to use machines to make goods or materials, usually in large
numbers or amounts;
avoidance to set by regulation or authority; to express in words;
civilization to examine or study again.

III. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

span
a) extension; b) extent; c) extinct; d) extol;

average
a) the higher value; b) the smaller value; c) the same value; d) medial value;;

tissue
a) aggro; b) aglow; c) aggregate of cells; d) titch;

fraction
 a) bit; b) fractious; c) frailty; d) byre;

to dispose (of)
a) to decant; b) to deal with; c) to declaim; d) to deem;

incidence
a) boom; b) appearance; c) repeater; d) occurrence;

awaiting
a) craning for; b) investigating for; c) waiting for; d) looking for.

IV. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention that
some forms of the words must be changed:

to mute, skeptics, potential, providers, access, placement, to demonstrate, sharply,

decisions, percent, estimate, antennas, underway, lack, illness.

Well over two billion people use cellular phones, and more than 80 … of the world’s
population has …to cellular phone service from cellular….. These numbers are expected to
rise …. in coming years, and many are concerned about ….health effects from cellular
phones and cellular antennas. Some cellular phone users who suffered rare …..have filed
lawsuits against cellular phone companies, but the cases usually are lost due to …. of
scientific evidence linking the use of the phones to the illnesses. While debates range in
communities over ……..of cellular antennas, the consideration of health effects on residents
is ……..because the federal government’s Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits local
governments from considering health effects when making ………about antenna placement.
As cellular ……..begin offering faster Internet services, they …….that they may need to
more than double the current number of antennas in the United States. It is generally agreed
that no studies conclusively ……..negative health effects from cellular phones and cellular
antennas, but … claim that digital cellular technology is too new to have endured long-term
studies on humans. Long-term studies that are …. may not provide results for decades.
(Should You Worry about Cellular Phone and Cellular Antenna Radiation? in Shelly, Gary
B., Cashman, Thomas J., Vermaat, Misty E., Discovering Computers: Fundamentals, Fourth
Edition, 2008, USA, p. 309.)

V. Translate into English:

 1) Nimeni nu ştie cu siguranţă cât este de periculos telefonul mobil. Ceea ce ştim azi
poate deveni coşmarul zilei de mâine – aceasta este părerea omului de ştiinţă Olle Johansson.
Este posibil ca peste 30 de ani să ne întrebăm cum au fost în stare oamenii să pună aşa o sursă
de radiaţie lângă cap.

2) Antena telefonului emite unde electromagnetice. Este acelaşi tip de radiaţie ca la

cuptoarele cu microunde, doar că într-o cantitate mult mai mică. Aşa cum cuptorul încălzeşte
mâncarea, undele mobilului încălzesc celulele umane, afectându-le în mod negativ.

3) Experimentele pe şobolani au demonstrat că genele ADN pot fi deteriorate de

radiaţia telefonului mobil, iar celulele sunt afectate. Aceasta este o explicaţie plauzibilă
pentru apariţia tumorilor.

4) Un studiu american menţionează următoarele efecte: tulburări de comportament,

afectarea nervilor şi a fătului, cataractă, modificări ale chimiei sângelui şi scăderea imunităţii.
Acestea sunt valabile şi pentru dozele mici de radiaţii pe care mobilele le emit. Totuşi, la o
concluzie clară nu s-a ajuns încă.

5) În general, copiii sunt mai sensibili la orice afectează corpul uman. Un raport
australian arată că undele electromagnetice afectează copiii de 3,3 ori mai mult decât pe
adulţii.

6) Cercetările efectuate până acum arată că, în mare măsură,telefonul digital este mai
periculos decât cel analogic. Telefonul digital emite un semnal pulsat, iar frecvenţa afectează
oamenii mai mult decât în cazul unui semnal analogic.

7) Nu e benefic pentru sănătatea noastră să stăm continuu într-un mediu cu unde

electromagnetice.

8) Iată cinci metode recomandate de specialişti pentru reducerea efectelor utilizării

mobilului:

 Fii scurt : Evită să vorbeşti perioade lungi la telefonul mobil. Încearcă să îţi planifici
apelurile în aşa fel încât să foloseşti telefonul fix pentru convorbiri lungi.
 Nu vorbi din maşină : Vorbeşte cât mai puţin posibil în maşină, pentru că aici
radiaţiile sunt amplificate. Dacă totuşi nu poţi evita acest lucru, montează-ţi o antenă
exterioară.
 Protejează-ţi copilul : Nu pune un mobil pornit în căruciorul copilului, întrucât emite
unde electromagnetice chiar dacă nu vorbeşti cu el.
 Evită curelele: Nu purta mobilul la curea. E inutil să expui undelor electromagnetice
oasele şoldurilor şi organele din zonă. Cel mai bun loc în care să porţi mobilul este
buzunarul de la picior al unor pantaloni militari.
 Direcţionează antena: Scoate întotdeauna antena (dacă este rabatabilă) când vorbeşti
şi direcţioneaz-o departe de cap, nu în sus, paralel cu capul. Pare o diferenţă
nesemnificativă, dar reduce într-o anumită măsură radiaţiile.

(Adapted, http://www.desprecopii.com/info.asp?id=536)