How safe for your brain is your cellphone?
How safe for your brain is your cellphone?
Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta
Cellphone users have long been wondering about how safe the
device is. They have heard stories about brain cancer, suspected
to have been caused by prolonged use of cellphones.
People have gone as far as saying that the powerful signal
transmissions are actually "frying" their brains.
Has there been any definitive and final answer?
Nokia says that the majority of research results so far have
shown that there is no harmful effect from radio signals emitted
from the cellphones, because the power of these signals is still
far below the safety limits set by institutions around the world.
Ericsson, another leading cellphone maker, also claims that
there has been no convincing proof that mobile telephony can
impact the user's health.
Motorola's websites also contain more or less the same
statements. This should not surprise us, as the opposite news
would put them out of business.
The concern about the health safety of mobile phones has
prompted other, more independent, bodies to conduct research.
Even the World Health Organization has got involved in trying
to find out the ultimate facts. In June 2000, this UN body also
reported that none of the research reviews supported the claim
that the radio frequency fields from either cellphone units or
network base stations could really cause health hazards.
A year earlier, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also
issued more-or-less the same statement.
What is still missing? These statements have generally stopped
short of saying with absolute certainty that using a cellphone
would never cause any health problems.
While it is a statement like this that we would like to hear,
we can understand the disguised hesitancy reflected in the words
"unlikely", "not proven", etc.
There are a lot of variables that need to be taken into
account. For example, would there be an adverse effect if we
placed the cellphone on our ear for more than just one or two
minutes? And, do all cellphones comply with the recommendations
as to the level of radio frequency emission? We know not all of
them do.
Another source of worry is the fact that a lot of health
problems emerge only after many years have elapsed from the time
they first started to develop.
While research on the effect of cellphone usage has been going
on for a couple of years, who can be sure that its real impact
will not be felt years from now?
All we can do is minimize the risk.
First and foremost, we can develop the habit of making our
calls on the cellphone as brief as possible each time. Second,
when choosing a new cellphone, make sure that it follows the
standards and recommended level of power, which is between 0.2
watts and 0.6 watts. Ask around and read reports, as a lot of
them are available on the Internet.
A hands-free accessory also helps put the transmitting
cellphone at a distance from our ear and brain, so that the power
of the radio frequency (RF) that penetrates our skull will be
even much lower.
Realistically speaking, however, we have to understand that RF
fields are everywhere. With all the satellite-based services
beamed straight down to earth -- including the global positioning
systems, digital radio broadcasts, low orbit satellite-based
handphones, microwave links, etc., RF fields already flood our
environment.
It is difficult to find places free from RF fields when we
have urban lifestyles.
Just keep in mind that, like eating, drinking and many other
enjoyable activities in our life, too much talking on the
cellphone may indeed be bad for your health.