To Use or Not to Use: Cellphones and Health

In Egypt, moms tend to have two very special traits: being overprotective and believing that safe is better than sorry. Hence, it is easy to imagine why they are obsessed with a single sentence at night right before their kids head off to sleep: "Take your cellphone out of the bedroom." Many people here would rather use an old-fashioned alarm clock than set their phone "right next to them on the nightstand" on alarm mode. They complain of the new plans to improve coverage by upgrading the cellular network architecture. It goes without saying, that there is a much-heated debate on mobile phone use and its implications on our health.

After hearing so much about this issue, it is time to discuss the concerns and separate myth from fact. Ultimately, the whole problem with cellphones is the radio-frequency radiation being emitted, which is a type of non-ionizing radiation with a relatively low frequency, if compared, for instance, to the UV radiation in the Sun rays. This radiation is not only emitted by your cellphone whenever you make or receive calls, but also when it is idle, to keep in contact with the tower. Immediate contact is needed should you decide to dial. This is why you have to turn your cellphone off on the plane before takeoff and during the entire flight. In a campaign promoted by the Environmental Working Group, consumers are urged to purchase mobile phones that use a unique database while searching for nearby towers in order to function with the lowest possible emission of waves.

The outcome of many studies, performed to explore the hypothesis of negative effects due to cellphone usage, have been inconclusive, where the design flaws in the experiments are usually pointed out. Most recently, it was decided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization (WHO) unit in France, to include cell phones in its list as "possibly carcinogenic for humans." According to its study, those exposed to over 30 minutes of cellphone use every day for a period of 10 years are at a threat of developing glioma, which is a form of brain tumor. Truth be told, it is imperative to perform further studies to verify the "possibly" harmful effects of cellphone usage, especially when it comes to more vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and elderly.

Another myth about cellphones is that their use near a gas station is hazardous! On an episode of a German scientific program, this concern was addressed, and it turns out that the restricted use of cellphones was enforced back when they had metallic antennas. The risk that metal antennas could induce benzine vapors to ignite was a real, science-backed concern. In the modern era of cellphones without metal antennas, the probability of such an ignition is extremely minute.

On the bright side, as we become more dependent on cellphones, their influence on our overall health is expanding. There are exercise applications for smart phones, and other apps are used to help monitor patient vitals, sending crucial information to health-care providers. These and other beneficial factors might outweigh the (as currently understood) "possibly" increased risks for cellphone radiation-induced carcinogenesis.

So, what is the take-home message? Speaking strictly scientifically, there is no conclusive evidence that cellphone use is ultimately harmful. Until such data exist, there is no need to panic as long as you are not abusing cellphone use. How much use qualifies as abusing it? Until future studies are released, we must use our common sense :).

Image Credit: ptufts (via Flickr)