SCIENCE RELATED TOPIC 2

Mobile phone radiation and health

Cell phones affect our memory, as there have been recent studies and researches done on animals kept in laboratories that have shown ill effects of mobile phone radiations on their memory. Cell phone radiation caused leaks in the brain tissues of rats that were exposed to this radiation for a test trial. Though we cannot avoid using cell phones, as they have become a necessity, one thing which we can do is use a hands-free to avoid direct radiation.

The effect of mobile phone radiation 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 November 2011, there were more than 6 billion subscriptions worldwide. Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.

In 2011, international agency for research on cancer (IARC) classified mobile phone radiation as Group 2B possibly carcinogenic (not Group 2A - probably carcinogenic). That means that there "could be some risk" of carcinogenicity, so additional research into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones needs to be conducted. Many scientific studies have investigated possible health symptoms of mobile phone radiation

Side effects of using mobile phones

Radiation absorption

Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone handset is absorbed by the body. The maximum power output from a mobile phone is regulated by the mobile phone standard and by the regulatory agencies in each country

The rate at which energy is absorbed by the human body is measured by the Specific absorption Rate (SAR), and its maximum levels for modern handsets have been set by governmental regulating agencies in many countries. In the UAE, the Federal Communication commission  (FCC) has set a SAR limit of 1.6 W/kg, averaged over a volume of 1 gram of tissue, It is worth noting that thermal radiation is not comparable to ionizing radiation in that it only increases the temperature in normal matter, it does not break molecular bonds or release electrons from their atoms.

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 molecule 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 itstemperature 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.

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.

Blood–brain barrier effects

Due to the use of mobiles, a leakage of albumin into the brain via a permeated  blood brain cancer ^[This confirms earlier work on the blood–brain barrier by Allan Frey, Oscar and Hawkins, and Albert and Kerns.

Cancer

·         Increased use of radiation Cell phone users had an increased risk of malignant gliomas.

·         Link between cell phone use and a higher rate of acoustic neuromas.

·         Tumors are more likely to occur on the side of the head that the cell handset is used.

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