Cellphones & Cancer
A study published in the Journal of Public Health and Environment, raised new fears about cancer’s connection to cellphones, reported The Telegraph (UK). The research team investigated the rise of an often fatal type of brain tumour called Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). A total of 79, 241 malignant brain tumours over 21 years were analysed. They found that GBM cases in England went from around 1,250 a year in 1995 to just under 3,000.
According to The Telegraph, scientists at the Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment (PHIRE) said the increasing rate of tumours in the frontal temporal lobe “raises the suspicion that mobile and cordless phone use may be promoting gliomas”. Cell phone radiation exposure has been principally linked to two types of brain tumours − gliomas and acoustic neuromas.
So, are our beloved palm-sized gadgets safe to use? Can the radiation emitted by cellphones really give you cancer?
Dr Avinash Deo, Medical Oncologist, Fortis SL Raheja Hospital, Mumbai, points out that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic (having the potential to cause cancer).
Earlier this year, a survey conducted in India revealed that 65% of its participants considered smartphones to be their best friend. Yes, let that sink in. Most people would rather communicate with an electronic device than a living, breathing human being. That’s how much we’ve grown to be dependent on technology, and especially on our smartphones.
Apart from cancer and brain tumour, there are concerns in the medical community that excess smartphone usage can lead to early deafness, memory loss and even interfere with the nervous system.
Cell phone radiation exposure has been linked to brain tumours.
Cellphones emit low levels of radio magnetic waves. The kind of radio magnetic waves your cellphone emits also plays a part. A number of studies have been conducted to examine whether the radiation leads to brain tumours, or increases risks of cancer. So far, there has been no conclusive evidence,” says Dr Sanjay Dudhat, senior consultant and surgical oncologist, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai. Dr Deo says that one of the issues with extensive studies is that because they take place over a period of 10 or 20 years, the technology studied becomes outdated. “Cellphone companies then say that they no longer make use of that particular technology. Moreover, it relies on the participant’s ability to recall their usage estimate. This may not always be accurate.” To err on the side of caution, limit your cellphone usage to the bare minimum. As much as possible, rely instead on good old landlines, or even speaker mode or headphones for that matter. And if you have children, ensure they are kept away from it. Their brains are smaller and still developing.
“Even though we don’t have a clear indication of cancer risk, it’s a scientific fact that cellphones emit radiation in a 3-4 ft radius,” says Dr Dudhat. For that reason alone, it’s wise not to sleep with your cellphone next to your head on the bed. Best to keep it on a table away from the bed. Apart from deadly diseases like cancers, there are other problems that heavy gadget usage can cause. Since we’re constantly typing these days, we could damage the tendons of our fingers and end up with tendonitis.
And if you think reading on the mobile doesn’t count as a bad thing, you’re mistaken. The LED light it emits is not doing your eyes any favours.
Moreover, being glued to your favourite device gives way to a sedentary lifestyle. And that, in turn, leads to conditions like obesity and diabetes.
Conclusion
It is concluded that by usage of the mobile phones three diseases such as the brain tumor, male infertility and ear hearing function can be affected on human health. Agreeing to our survey from the Civil Hospital, Karachi, Jinnah Medical Hospital, Karachi and Dow Medical University Hospital, Karachi, we found that the cell phone use is more dangerous on human health, as doctors believed that all wireless devices like cellular phones, laptop, wireless router, wireless earphone, cell telephone tower, Bluetooth devices and tablet PC are accountable for the development of diseases of brain tumor, male infertility, hearing function. It is advised that one should keep away from the use of Mobile phone or decrease its usage as low as possible because it may affect the human.
Recommendations
• Do not keep the cell phone in a trouser pocket.
• Do not utilize the cell phone for long time chat; use the headphones for extended calls.
• Do not put the mobile phone on women’s stomach during pregnancy.
• In schools and colleges do not use mobile phone devices for the intellect that it is dangerous for the youngsters and it is recommended to utilize the land line telephone.
• Create awareness among the public about the harmful effects of mobile phone rays on the human Health. Such workshops be established as soon as possible.
• The scheme of placing the mobile phone towers in the area should be ostracized. If they are already existing, they should be shifted without any delay to preserve up the masses from their hazardous effects.
These devices give off harmful radiations which can contribute too many harmful diseases such as Brain Tumor, Male Infertility, and Ear Hearing Impairment, effect on the foetus, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, asthma, Heart trouble, insomnia, high blood pressure, leukaemia, birth defects, Immune system, etc
Impact of mobile phone on human health
Presently, mobile phones are being used everywhere because these devices do not use the physical cable/wire that is demanded for the communications purposes. Their demand for the electromagnetic radiation for receiving and transferring the data in the air; either it is a network or a sound data. These mobile phone devices give off harmful radiations which effects to the human health because such type of radiations are available everywhere and their existence cannot be felt.
These radiations also penetrate in the body and they affect the cell structure and the DNA. The different types of radiations are being used for connecting the mobile phone devices with each other and each type of radiation having own frequency and wavelength, the frequency mostly ranges from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. There are several cases of mobile phone devices such as cell phones, wireless router, tablet PC, cell telephone tower, wireless hand free, Bluetooth device, audio player, laptop connected to the wireless router (Wi-Fi). These devices give off harmful radiations which can contribute too many harmful diseases such as Brain Tumor, Male Infertility, and Ear Hearing Impairment, effect on the foetus, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, Heart trouble, insomnia, high blood pressure, leukaemia, birth defects, Immune system, and rheumatoid arthritis. Radiations are also causes of some symptoms which are: headache, sleep disruption, tiredness, and so on DNA damage can also happen because the wireless radiation which given off by the mobile phone devices during the sending and receiving process of the data which is broken down by this survey based research. The study is directed with the assistance of doctors with the help of survey questionnaire; this survey contains some of the diseases which are induced by these radiations like male infertility, brain tumor and the ear hearing impairment.
Literature Review
With the evolution of current technology and specifically the mobile technology, there is no uncertainty that the cell phones and their fame have increased many folds. One of the causes might be ascribable to their easiness of utilization and the presence of further appeals. For this understanding, there are many experts in psychology, which initiated the inquiry on the upshot of the cell phones in the guild. A survey led by Bianchi et al. in 2005 worked out the problems connected with the mobile phone usage. This study required to calculate problematical mobile phone use. It’s key in lying on factor they thought to reason mobile phone disorder. The consequences lead toward the construction of the Mobile Phone trouble makes use of the range.
This range compared to the Addiction possible level. Essentials that were employed to measure the level and generate the Mobile Phone Problem utilize level where the measure of time single use their cell phone and the kind of usage. The behavioural predictors that move the price of cell phone usage were: being extra, possessing short self-esteem, and being young. These qualities were all important in an influential problematical cell phone make use of.
The survey indicates that these behavioural predictors did not control the cost of cell phone usage: gender, and neurosis. The level urbanized was planned to help out through implement any intervention for possible addictive behaviour [10].
Getting old was the key reason in predicting the challenges of the cell phone use. That is why further psychologists have executed the study focus on youth. Koo et al. in 2010 studied the same things on youth, in which 548 students were asked to, fill up a questionnaire concerning their cell phone use. The results of the questionnaires were as follows: 89% believed they were usual cell phone users, while 8.4% thought they were serious users and just 2.9% percent believed they were enthusiastic to use the cell phones [11]. Few contradictory results were made by Koo et al. study while compared to Bianchi et al. study. The biggest challenge was that Bianchi et al. research shows that gender was not an interpreter for problematic cell phone use, while research by Koo et al. [12]. The cell phone usage is usually addictive and especially in young ages. Sanchez-Carbonell et al. declared in 2008 that the cell phones can be used in an easy-going fashion. Outcomes of these studies declared that the Internet does not because the possible compassionate the cell phone usage does not encourage fast affecting change [13]. Once again we observed a different point of outlook where Bianchi et al. research show that the cell phones were considered to be employed in an offensive behaviour, and not seen as addictive [12].
Over again, the question is, are the cell phones addictive? Clearly a new study has to be completed to answer this query. Other things should be regarded as of the existing research condition, such as age and gender are. If cell phones are not addictive, can they bring any violent disorder? Dismiss it or does it morphs as by compulsion to a violent disorder by era? If youth and adults are more liable to cell phone compulsion, what is the longest tenure repercussion? What intervention should be meted out in alignment with the achievable compulsion? What preventive steps should be in use against it? Optimistically in the not too far-away future these pending questions will be answered.