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Faith Hamphill

Mr. Campbell

UWRT 1104

7 November 2017

Dial it Down: The Dangers of Cell Phones Commented [L1]:

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According to the Pew Research center of Washington D.C., about 90% of Americans own a cell
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phone or a similar mobile device. Cell phones have evolved from being a luxury to an absolutely Commented [L4R1]:
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necessity in societies worldwideAmerican society. There is no question that this is a sure sign of

technological advancement over the years, seeing that there was no such thing as a cell phone before

1973. But, in the past few years the dangers of cell phones and frequent cell phone use have become

very [Link] has been a question introduced to worldwide America society Over the past few

years, cell phones have been proven to be dangerous in two main ways. The first is the cell phones

ability to have adverse effects on human health. The second is the matter of cell phone use becoming so

popular, that they actually serve as a distraction that can cause tragic accidents, ultimately endangering

peoples lives.: Cellular devices are extremely popular in modern society, enjoyed by all age groups

ranging from tens to senior citizens but a threat to human beings? could cell phones have adverse

effects on human health? And this is the question that I chose to center my Extended Inquiry Project

around. I found the topic very intriguing and decided to do some in-depth research. I wanted to know

what about cell phones was harmful to the human body and how serious these adverse effects could

be? How does that harmful substance enter our bodies? And what kinds of illnesses could it causes? I

also wanted to know more about how cell served as a distraction what kinds of situations have

happened because of this distraction.

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Many doctors and researchers are digging deep and trying to find answers to these questions.

Just as I am. Many organizations believe that cell phones are dangerous and should be monitored

carefully in order to prevent significant illnesses spreading throughout America as a result of cell phone

use. I would like to believe that cell phones are harmless because I own one and I use it very often, but

there is only one way to be sure. So, I have decided to do my own research in order to be able to

establish my own view of the topic.

While completing my research the first thing I needed to know was which aspect of the cellular

device is harmful? Is it the entire device as a whole or just one particular feature? I found that the radio

frequency electromagnetic waves are what causes hazardous effects. Dr. Argarwal, a professor in the

Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, states that "Exposure of radio frequency

energy depends upon the frequency of the cellular phone being used. Also, while reading his article

"Cell Phones and Male infertility: dissecting the relationship" I learned that radiant energy can be

absorbed into the human body three ways. The first is by the aerial effect: when our body receives and

absorbs the radio frequency signal depending upon the size of the body part and wavelength, in other

words, if the size of the wavelength is big enough and the specific body part is small enough, the body

can actually absorb these waves. of the signal. Second is coupling of the radio frequency signal with our

bodily tissues, this is when a signal enters tissue cells and becomes one with that cell. And third is

resonant absorption, this occurs when the amount of energy in an electromagnetic wave is the same of

the energy of a neutron. The federal Communications Commission suggests cell phones users to keep a

minimum distance of 20 centimeters from the handset to significantly reduce radiation exposure. This

was a proposed solution after the commission informed American that Adults and especially children

can suffer the long-term effects of radiation waves on the brain.

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One of the most common yet least expected negative health effects caused by cell phones is

male infertility. In 2005 a study was done in Saudi Arabia on 371 men undergoing infertility evaluations.

The sxtudy was performed by DR. Patil Santosh of AlJouf University. During this study iIt was proven that

the duration of possession and daily usage time of cell phones correlated negatively with the proportion

of rapidly progressive spermatozoa. In other words,This suggests that frequent use of cell phones has a

negative effect on sperm motility, or its ability to move around. Researchers have also proven that when

radio frequency waves areradio is at a high frequency it has heating properties that lead to thermal

effects. And an increase in our bodily tissues temperature on exposure to electromagnetic waves can

cause reversible disruption of spermatogenesis, this. Which is the process in which males organisms

produce sperm. Another way that electromagnetic radiation can cause infertility is when it causes

scrotal heating and induces DNA damage in male sperm.

Throughout my research process I found that the most prominent illness caused by cell phones

is cancer. While reading an article on the Bbetter Hhealth Cchannel website I learned that radiation can

be separated into two groups: ionizing and non-ionizing. Non- ionizing radiation which can prompt

molecules to vibrate and rise in temperature. And ionizing radiation which the website states can cause

changes in atoms or molecules in the body that can result in tissue damage such as cancer. Also, in her

womens Health Magazine, Sascha De Gersdorff wrote that radio frequency can transfer energy waves

into our body and disrupt its normal functioning leading to DNA damage which is a precursor to cancer.

Additionally, there was an interphone study done in 2010 by the International Agency for Research on

Cancer. It is the largest study to date on radio frequency exposure. The results of the study proved that

people that talked on their cell phones for thirty minutes a day throughout the course of ten years saw

their risk of developing glioma, a type of brain tumor, increase by forty percent.
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There are many other health effects that are less severe yet just as important to be aware of.

Bader K AlZarea and Santosh Patils article Mobile Phone Head and Neck Pain Syndrome: Proposal of a

New Entity highlights this stating that even though mobile phones have been proven as the best and

efficient way for communication between families and friends, and among various professionals surplus

usage of this device may adversely affect the health of an individual. It then went on to explain an

experiment that was done and the results of the experiment that proved how cell phones can cause

adverse effects on human health. I learned that the purpose of this study was to assess the health

effects of mobile phone use among university students of Saudi Arabia. In this study 369 students at

Aljouf University were given self-administered pre-tested questionnaires that included various mental

and Physical health symptoms that are related to mobile phone usage. The results showed that the most

common symptom experienced was cervical pain, even though the study was done on both men and

women. iIt was reported by 71.2 % of the students. Headaches were the second most common,

reported by 63.3%. 54.5 % reported irritability, 50.7 % reported anxiety, 47.4% lack of concentration,

36.8% reported straining of eyes, 31.3% reported insomnia, 28.5% reported memory problems, 19.6%

reported depression, and lastly, 16.91% reported itching or irritation of skin.

Just as I have plenty of researchers that found information that proves cell phones can be

dangerous and cause certain illness for humans, I have also found that some doctors and organizations

believe that the danger of cell phones is being exaggerated or just hasnt been proven enough. For

example, the World Health Organization says Mobile Phones are transmitting radio waves through a

series of base stations where radio frequency waves are electromagnetic fields that cannot break

chemical bonds or cause ionization in the human body. Also, a study was done in 2010 by a Health
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Protection Agency group set up to examine the safety of mobile phones. The study found that there was

no convincing evidence of cell phones causing any adverse effects on human health.

This informastioninformation I believe that the information that I have found is extremely

important to American society today because mobile phones have become such a huge part of

societiesof societies worldwideAmerican culture. This is something that has the potential to impact

millions of people and I believe that they should be aware of the illnesses that cell phones have the

potential to expose them to. In my opinion, there is more than a sufficient amount of evidence to prove

that cell phones can be dangerous when used frequently. Several studies have been done and the

results supports the claim that cell phones can cause cancer, male infertilitye, headaches, fatigue,

anxiety and many other adverse effects on human health. I believe that some doctors or other

professional may not want to accept that this is true because cell phones are so important in todays

society and it would be extremely hard for Americans to adjust to a life without them. I also think that

these doctors know that if they were to try to extract cell phones from American society the resistance

would be difficult to overcome and could possibly cause major conflict between American citizens and

researchers. Overall, I now believe that cell phones, if used frequently enough, could definitely be

harmful to human health because I know that they can cause cancer, male infertility, headaches and

many more adverse health effects. I believe that this is something that they public should be more

aware of and I hope that doctors as well as technological workers are looking for a solution for these

potential problems.

On the other hand, cell phones can also be dangerous to human beings because they serve as a

distraction from the events surrounding us, often time placing us in potentially harmful situations.

Although cell phones can serve as a distraction in many different situations, the most common place
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that they distract people is in the car while they are driving. This is, for many reasons extremely

dangerous and has result in thousands of car accidents and injuries on the road according to the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Cell phones are the most common objects that distract

people while driving and this distraction can pose safety risks to the inattentive driver, their passengers,

as well as the people in cars surrounding them.

The statistics on car crashes that happen because of drivers distracted by their cell phones is

unbelievable. According to Edgar Snyder, a personal injury lawyer, nearly 330,000 injuries occur every

year because of texting and driving. Throughout the day, approximately 660,000 people attempt to use

their cell phones while driving. Cell phone use while driving is the cause of almost 1.6 million car crashes

worldwide each year. Texting and driving causes a 400% increase in the amount of time a driver spends

with their eyes off the road. Texting and driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than drunk

driving. Eleven teens die every day as a result of texting and driving. 21% of teen drivers involved in fatal

accidents were using their cell phones. This is clear evidence that cell phones can be dangerous, even in

an indirect way.

But what exactly is the reason for why cell phone use causes these problems? How come people

cant use their cell phone I and drive safely at the same time? Well, when it comes to texting and driving,

I think the answer is pretty obvious. If someone is texting, they are guaranteed to spend time looking

down at that their phone rather than watching the road. And according to the American Optometric

Association, a cognitive task involved in processing a conversation on a cell phone significantly reduces

a persons visual field. This means that humans simply arent able to detect changes in their field of

vision while talking on the phone. This is why accidents are more likely to happen. This was proved when

students at the Southern College of Optometry conducted a study. They tested 40 people, both men and

women. In this experiment all the subjects had to do was have a conversation on their cell phones while
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the researchers plotted dots on a board in front of them. Research showed that the people who were

having a conversation noticed and responded to these dots significantly slower than the people who

werent talking on the phone.

Although this is a serious problem that needs to be solved, making a law prohibit any use of cell

phones while driving is an unrealistic way of trying to solve it. So, the National Highway Traffic Safety

administration suggests that people pull off of the road while using their cell phone to help prevent

accidents. Other possible solutions include allowing passengers to take phone calls or respond to text

messages, installing a hands free device and refraining from emotional or stressful conversations while

driving.

From the research I have conducted, I can conclude that cell phones can be very dangerous to

human beings, both directly and indirectly. The radiation that they give off can cause serious illnesses.

Just as they can be a fatal distraction to humans worldwide.

Works Cited

Agarwal, Ashok. Cell phones and male infertility: dissecting the relationship. Reproductive Biomedicine

Online, 25 June 2007 [Link] Accessed

10 Oct.2017.

Curry, David G. In Vehicle Cell Phones: Fatal Distraction-Yes or No? Proceedings of the Human Factors
and Ergonomics SocietyAnnual Meeting, vol.1, 2001, pp. 562-566, ProQuest Central.
[Link]
605. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017. Formatted: Underline, Underline color: Custom
Color(RGB(5,99,193)), Font color: Custom
Better Health Channel. Mobile Phones and your Health. June Color(RGB(5,99,193))
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2014[Link]

yourhealth?viewAsPdf=true. Accessed 10 Dec. 2017.

Gersdorff, Sascha. Health Risks of Mobile Devices Womens Health Magazine.

[Link] Accessed 10 Oct.

2017.

Maples, W.C., Wes Rosier, Richard Hoenes, Rodney Bendure, Sherl Moore. The effect of cell phone use
on peripheral vision. Optometry-Journal of the American Association, vol.79, no.1, 2008, pp.36-42.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2017.

Moore, Larry R., and Greggory S. Moore. The Impact of Cell Phones on Driver Safety. Professional
Safety, vol. 46, no. 6, 2001, pp. 30-32. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Environmental Science Collection;
SciTech Premium Collection.
[Link]
605. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017. Formatted: Font color: Custom Color(RGB(5,99,193))

Patil, Santosh R. Mobile Phone Head and Neck Pain Syndrome: Proposal of a New Entity. OHDM

October 2015. Vo. 14, no. 5 [Link]

[Link]. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

Snyder, Edgar. Texting and Driving Accident Statistics. [Link].

[Link]

[Link]. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017.