Whatever you acknowledge it or not our sensation regarding cell phone become so immense that in many cases it alters our habitual practices. This handheld gadget amazed us with its cutting edge features no doubt. But in reality it is a RF (radio frequency) device that generates electromagnetic radiation, which may causes adverse effect on our biological system.



Electromagnetic radiation consists of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving together (radiating) through the space at the speed of light. As a wireless device a cell phone need to send and receive signals in order to establish a communication link with the base station. Base station is a kind of tower that communicates with cell phones.

During conversation internal circuit of a cell phone encodes voice onto a continuous sine wave. This wave is sinusoidal that radiates out from the cell phone antenna and propagates through the air. Once the encoded sound has been placed on the sine wave, the transmitter sends the signal to the antenna, which then transmits it towards base station.



Cell phones operate low power transmitters and they run on about 0.75 to 1 watt of power. Depend on the manufactures design mechanism the position of a transmitter inside a phone varies. But generally it is located in the vicinity to the phones antenna. The antenna attached to the transmitter launches radio waves into the space. Cell phone tower at any particular cell receives the signals.

Usually when you pick up a call the cell phone come in close touch with the head. Some researchers claimed that from this position radiation could impinge human tissue. But the consequences depend on the types of radiation.

There are two kinds of radiation such as ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation. Ionising radiation is very intense and it contains enough electromagnetic energy to strip atoms and molecules from the tissue and alter chemical reactions in the human body. Gamma rays and x-rays are two ideal instances of ionising radiation.



Non-ionising radiation is relatively harmless and it creates heating effect that usually not strong enough to do fatal damage to human tissue. Radio frequency energy, visible light and microwave radiation are considered non-ionising.

Prolong exposure to RF radiation originated by the cell phones could create several health hazards. RF radiation heat human tissue and human body is not equipped enough to dissipate excessive amounts of heat and for this damage occurs. The eyes are particularly vulnerable due to the lack of blood flow in that area.

Some researchers revealed some interesting information regarding the effect of microwave radiation on human eyes. Exposing the lens for a prolonged time to microwave radiation caused macroscopic damage affecting the optical quality of the lens. Microscopic damage includes creating tiny bubbles on the surface of the lens. The researchers have speculated that the mechanism for the creation of the bubble is microscopic friction between particular cells exposed to electromagnetic radiation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has reported another potential health risk. Studies have shown that when cell phone come across in a close association with implanted cardiac pacemaker it apparently interrupts pacemakers normal delivery of pulses. But this situation does not arise if more than six inches distance maintained between digital phone and implanted pacemaker.

Lund University Hospital ruled out the risk of cancer by cell phone radiation but they worried about the possibility of brain cell damage, which may lead to the early Alzheimers disease. Another experiment on rat showed that radiation damage to brain neurons in adolescent rats. Although it is not proved for human brain but some researchers also claimed that radiation emitted from the cell phone may avert normal sleeping activity.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the electromagnetic radiation produced by cell phone does not activate the stress response in mouse, hamster or human cell. Researcher closely observed a protein called heat shock factor (HSF) which activation is the prerequisite to trigger stress response. Under both short-term exposures and long-term exposures all tests on the cell did not show any sign of HSF activation by microwave radiation which indicates the stress response was not initiated.

All cell phone manufacturers need to measure the radiation level of the finished products. Radiation levels are tested based on the specific absorption rate (SAR), which is a way of measuring the amount of radio-frequency energy that is absorbed by the human body. In United States in order to obtain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, a phones maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg). In 2000, the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association (CTIA) ordered cell-phone manufacturers to place labels on phones disclosing radiation levels.

A group of researchers argued that radiation from cell phones responsible for cancer and other ailments, while others opposed these scopes. Since there is no credible declaration and public concern is soaring day-by-day World Health Organization (WHO) has started a research program on this issue in order to investigate all negative impacts caused by the cell phone radiation. Regardless the outcome of this research, experts suggests that, some precautions are necessary to abstain children from the excessive use of this RF device.

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