Cellular phone users dial up controversy
By Christiani Tumelap
JAKARTA (JP): Controversy regarding the impact of cellular phone usage on human health and safety has flourished in correspondence with the surge in worldwide sales of the devices.
Many research centers have conducted experiments to assess whether there is a correlation between cellular phone usage and poor health. No solid results, however, have yet been found.
As far as many people are concerned, the main known effect of cellular phones is car accidents.
One other thing about cellular phone usage that is absolutely irrefutable is that excessive use of the device can drive you bankrupt.
Here are some of the controversies:
1. Frequent cellular phone users risk brain cancer due to the powerful electromagnetic radiation.
NOT CLEAR. The cell phone-brain cancer link has yet to be thoroughly tested or proven.
Brain cancer is, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a very rare cancer which needs years to develop and mostly affects people over 50 years of age. IARC suggests it takes between five and ten years of active cellular phone usage before we can assess whether there is a link to brain cancer.
Scientists began to question the safety of cellular phones after reports that the devices generate "hot spots" of electromagnetic waves which are concentrated on the heads of users.
Singapore's Nanyang Technological University says using cell phones is safe since the device raises the temperature of a user's head by no more than 0.15 degrees Celsius.
The university's conclusion is supported by international guidelines, which state an electromagnetic wave below 0.25 degrees Celsius is negligible as a health hazard.
Most of the electromagnetic waves from a mobile phone are found in the antenna of the phone. The waves heat up the area of the head closest to the antenna, but any temperature increase dissipates quickly with the return of the normal flow of blood to the head. As a safeguard, users are advised not let antennas touch their ears or scalp.
2. Using cellular phone while driving is dangerous.
TRUE. Japan's National Police Agency reported a total 780,399 phone-related traffic accidents in 1997. Most of the accidents took place while drivers were trying to answer the phone. In most cases, drivers using phones smashed into the car ahead of them.
The United States' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there are three principal types of distractions while driving: Physical distractions such as using your hands to change a radio station; visual distractions that occur when you take your eyes off the road to do something; and mental distractions that occur when you are looking straight ahead, but deep in thought. With a cell phones, all three can easily occur simultaneously.
Other reports suggest the electromagnetic wave produced by a cell phone may interfere with a car's fuel injection system, brake system and cruise control.
For your own safety, it is advisable to pull off the road before placing a call. Alternatively, buy a portable or hands- free cellular phone and activate the voice answer/dial system to keep your hands free while driving.
3. Cellular phones shall not be operated on airplanes while in the air.
TRUE. All cellular phones must be turned off once an aircraft is airborne because they may interfere with the airplane's navigation system.
4. Cellular phones shall not be operated at the gas station.
TRUE. Many overseas gas stations, and several here, place placards asking customers not to use cell phones while filling up their vehicles.
An explosion recently damaged a car being filled with gasoline at a gas station on Jl. A Yani in East Jakarta. The flames exploded from the car's gas tank several seconds after a cell phone inside the car rang.
Experts suggest an activated cell phone produces an electromagnetic wave which can cause highly pressurized fuel steam to explode, especially when it is hot outside. However, there is a very small possibility that this will occur.
5. The pulsed microwave radiation produced by mobile phones is extremely harmful to human health.
NOT CLEAR. Pulsed microwave radiation from digital phones is considered by many to be more powerful than that produced by analog phones.
But there is still considerable scientific skepticism about the health risks of microwave radiation.
Some research has suggested that mobile phone radiation may cause headaches and short-term memory loss, and contribute to lower male fertility rates. The research suggests the effects are exacerbated if you are inside a car, have metal fillings in your mouth or wear metal-rimmed glasses.
Some companies have attempted to respond to the issue by producing devices which they claim reduce radiation emissions, such as leather jackets with a metal mesh shield and aerial guard, and a cellular handset with an internal antenna covered by a protective shield.
6. There is a virus in mobile phone systems.
NOT CLEAR. Some E-mail messages recently warned of the possibility of digital cell phones being affected by a virus capable of preventing SIM cards from operating, at the very least.
Many parties, including handset manufacturers, dismissed this warning as merely an attempt to sabotage the sales of certain manufacturers.
6. Cellular telephones interfere with radio or television reception.
NOT CLEAR. Cellular telephones operate on a different set of uniquely assigned frequencies and should not cause radio or TV interference.
Some people, however, claim cell phones do affect radio or television reception, reporting a buzzing noise in the radio or TV prior to the arrival of an incoming call on a nearby cell phone.
7. All conversations over a cellular phone are private.
TRUE. Your cellular phone conversations are as private as any radio communication.
However, there is sophisticated equipment available which allows cellular conversations to be monitored. Cellular switching and the large number of channels, however, should make continued monitoring difficult.
8. The roaming fee for using my cell phone inside or outside my home coverage area is different.
TRUE. But remember that a cell phone user with a Jakarta phone number who makes an outgoing call to another Jakarta number while in, for example, Bali, will be charged a double roaming rate.
When roaming outside home coverage areas, an additional roaming fee of Rp 1,000 is charged for calls made by the roaming subscribers, while an ordinary domestic long-distance rate is charged for calls received by roaming subscribers.
Here's a tip. Frequent cell phone users planning to stay in an area outside their normal coverage area for a number of weeks, can save money by buying a prepaid starter pack issued in that region to avoid being charged a double roaming fee.
9. I will be charged an airtime fee when receiving a call from a cellular phone.
TRUE if you receive the call using your cell phone. Cellular phone users receiving calls from other cell phone users will be charged a double airtime fee.
NOT TRUE if you receive the call from your fixed-line phone at home. Making an outgoing call to a cell phone using a fixed-line phone will cost you an airtime charge of Rp 275 per minute, an interconnection fee of Rp 55 per minute and domestic or international roaming fees for domestic long-distance and international calls.
10. Using accessories will damage a cellular phone.
TRUE if the accessories, including the antenna and the cover, are not suitable for your cellular phone. It is recommended you use original accessories only.