Cell Phones
Cell phones are radio transmitters that operate at microwave frequencies, and work on low power, less than 2 watts. They send out electromagnetic energy that travels between 450 million and 2,700 million wave cycles per second. Cells phones have frequencies between 30 petahertz and 30 exahertz. The brain and the skull absorb energy when cell phones are held against the ear. Cell phones are non-ionizing radiation, which means that they might be able to heat substances up, but they are not strong enough to break molecules when they hit living tissue. They cannot destroy cells, harm DNA, or tear anything apart on the level of chemical bonds. (Biddle, W. (2012) A Field Guide to Radiation. New York, NY: Penguin Group).
Cell phones have grown from a communication device to a personal essential; several studies are trying to find out if they are harmful to our health. Many scientists say they don’t pose any threat to our health, but they are still looking in to it. However, when cell phones are held against the head, they do affect brain activity, but the consequences are unclear. A study called Interphone observed data from thirteen countries and found no presence of the head or neck tumors among adults that have been using mobile phone for more than 10 years. (Biddle, W. (2012) A Field Guide to Radiation. New York, NY: Penguin Group).
What is Radiation?
“Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves, or as moving particles. It is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium of space. The two types of radiation that are commonly differentiated in which the way they act with normal chemical substances. These two types of radiation are called Ionizing and Non-Ionizing radiation. (Malouf, D. & Beauchamp, R. (2012) What is Radiation? Radiation. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.virtualsciencefair.org/2012/maloud )
“Non-ionizing radiation does not damage the genetic material in body’s molecules, and might or might not cause illness, but if the exposure to microwave radiation is sufficiently intense, then it can cause biological damage, such as burns and cataracts.” Cell phones are considered non-ionizing radiation.
“Ionizing radiation, on the other hand, is dangerous to our bodies, and in high doses can cause cancer and birth defects. Radio frequencies and microwave frequencies are classified as non-ionizing radiation, and x-rays and gamma rays are examples of ionizing radiation.”
Cell Phone Radiation
“Cell phones are radios that depend on radio signals to receive and transmit information.” (Maranowski, M. (2012, December 7). Does Your Cell Phone Leak? Measuring Cell Phone Radiation. Science Buddies. Retrieved January 4, 2014, from http://www.sciencebuddies.org) The reason why we test the radiation of cell phones with a microwave oven leakage meter is because cell phones convert our voices into a microwave frequency signals. “Cell phones transmit and receive information at microwave frequencies, which are within the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. Radio waves and microwaves are all part of the electromagnetic spectrum.”
There is a lot of debate about whether or not the radiation (the microwave frequencies that the cell phone is receiving and sending) from cell phones is harmful to humans. Since the cell phone is held close to the head, many scientists are studying whether the rise in cell phone usage is creating a rise in brain tumors.
CELL PHONE RADIATION 