Since cell phones became popular in the 1990s, some people have worried that using one might cause health problems.The worry stems from the fact that cell phone antennae emit radio frequency energy, a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to a fact sheet posted by the National Cancer Institute at www.cancer.gov.There are two types of electromagnetic radiation: ionizing and non-ionizing.According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ionizing radiation is high-frequency radiation that strips electrons away from their normal locations in atoms and molecules, a process capable of permanently damaging biological tissues, including DNA. Gamma rays and X-rays are examples of ionizing radiation.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that non-ionizing radiation produces less energy and has a longer wavelength than ionizing radiation. The non-ionizing radiation produced by cell phones, micro and radio waves and infrared and visible light is not strong enough to change the structure of atoms, but it may be strong enough to heat tissue.The original cell phones were designed to make telephone calls. When making a call, the cell phone is held against the ear with the phone’s RF-emitting antenna held near the head, leading researchers to focus on the risk of brain cancer.”Right now, there is no connection between cell phones and brain cancer,” said Joel Quevillon, communications manager for the Colorado Springs office of the American Cancer Society.In December, the Danish Cancer Society released the results of their study of brain tumor rates in adults living in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.The study examined brain tumor rates from 1974 to 2003 – a period of steadily increasing cell phone usage. If there is a connection between brain tumors and cell phone usage, there should also have been an increase in brain tumor rates during that period.The study found no increase, but Quevillon suggested that people concerned about a link between brain cancer and cell phone use should use the Blue Tooth earpiece or a microphone. With these devices, the cell phone is obviously not held to the ear.According to the CDC, “The average time between first exposure to a cancer-causing agent and clinical recognition of the disease is 15 to 20 years or longer – and cell phone use in the U.S. has only been popular for about a decade.”The authors of the Danish study said a longer follow-up is warranted because it may take more than five to 10 years for brain tumors to form.”You also have to realize this is a brand new technology, and the number of people using it is growing hands down. It’s one of the biggest technologies we’ve seen in the last 20 years,” Quevillon said.”Five to 10 years from now, we may see a change [in the brain tumor rate], or we may not. But right now, it looks like there’s no connection. Until a study comes out that has the scientific background to say differently, it’s user beware.”Studying cell phone use and health problems is complicated because of the many variables involved.For example, the NCI fact sheet notes that the amount of RF radiation emitted by a cell phone depends on signal quality. Overall, the cell phone has to work harder when the signal is poor, and when a cell phone works harder, it emits more RF radiation.Plus, there are two competing cell phone technologies: Groupe SpÈciale Mobile (developed in Europe) and Code Division Multiple Access (developed in the United States), and both technologies have evolved dramatically since being introduced.By only reviewing records through 2003, the Danish study neglects six years of smart phone use; and, according to the NCI fact sheet, today’s smart phones emit more RF radiation than their “dumb” predecessors.With an application for every need, from Internet browsing to gaming to home design to holding virtual meetings, smart phones encourage their owners – especially young people – to spend more time holding cell phones closely to the face and abdomen.The FDA Web site warns that the eyes and testes are vulnerable to heating by RF energy because little blood, which carries away heat, goes to these areas.According to the NCI fact sheet, no studies have included cell phone use by children, even though “cellular telephone use is increasing rapidly in children and adolescents, and they are likely to accumulate many years of exposure during their lives. In addition, children may be at greater risk because their nervous systems are still developing at the time of exposure.”Frank Barnes, professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado, said that high school kids are different from adults in terms of skull size and thickness, as reported in a January 2008 article in U.S. News and World Reports.Still, the studies keep on coming.In July, the Israeli Dental Association released results of a study, conducted between 1970 and 2006, of malignant tumors in salivary glands, as reported at www.emaxhealth.com.While the IDA study found no increase in the rate of tumors in salivary glands in the mouth, the results indicate a tripling of the rate of malignant tumors of the parotid salivary glands below the ear, with 20 percent of those affected younger than 20 years old.In December, Telegraph newspaper in London reported that the World Health Organization is expected to publish the results of a 10-year study showing that “heavy [cell phone] users face a higher risk of developing brain tumors later in life.”To check a cell phone’s radiation rating online, go to the Environmental Working Group’s Web site, www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/Get-a-Safer-Phone. The site also offers ideas for using cell phones safely.
