Today, we cannot imagine a life without cell phones, but until a few years back, they weren't even into existence. The user base of mobile phones is quite large now. Even a small increase in the occurrence of adverse effects could be devastating for the health. The harmful effects of mobile phones are many, but most of the time, one tends to ignore them. In most countries around the world, more than half the population relies on mobile phones for telecommunication. Moreover, the mobile phone market is growing rapidly. This rapid increase would lead to major health implications in the long term.

Let's know about the Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones

Besides the number of cell phone calls per day, the length of each call and the amount of time people use cell phones are important factors enhancing health-related risks.

Cell Phones emit RadioFrequency Waves

The harmful effects of mobile phones also include emission of radiofrequency energy, which the tissues close to the telephone absorb. The radiofrequency fields that mobile phones emit is a lot higher than from the base stations. The amount of energy a user is exposed to depends on a number of factors such as the technology of the phone, the distance between the mobile phone and user and the extent of user's distance from cell phone towers.

How to measure the exposure of radiofrequency waves?

Epidemiologic studies take information from several credible sources, including surveys and data from cell phone providers. However, direct and exact measurements are not possible outside a laboratory setting. For measuring an estimate of the exposure amount, here are a few things to consider:

• How regular are the participants in using cell phones- This may include the number of calls per week or month.
• How frequent are the participants in using cell phones- The average number of cell phone calls per day/ week or month.
• What is the total hours and lifetime use- This can be calculated from the frequency of use, duration of use and typical call times?
• How long does a cell phone call last- The average length of a typical cell phone call.
• At what age did the participant first use a cell phone and which year did they last use it- This allows the calculation of the duration of use and time since the start.

How do radiofrequency waves affect the body?

As devices like mobile phones emit the radiofrequency radiation, the human body absorbs a particular dosage. This "dose" of absorbed energy is estimated using the specific absorption rate measure. Exposure to any form of radiation, like X-rays, has proven to increase the risk of cancer. Moreover, the major biological effect of radiofrequency energy is heating. One major thing to notice here is when the device is nearby! The body part heats up, but this isn't as considerable to trigger a rise in body temperature. Studies also show that radiofrequency energy also affects glucose metabolism by reducing it on the side of the brain where it was used. Based on another study, which tried to establish whether radiofrequency energy from cell phones affects the blood flow in the brain.

Health Effects of Mobile Phones

Based on research on the effects of mobile phone exposure, the major health issues identified include-

• cancer
• other health effects
• electromagnetic interference
• traffic accidents.

Cancer

On the basis of evidence from humans, about the possible connection between RF radiation from wireless phones and tumours (glioma and acoustic neuroma), the RF field is classified as carcinogenic for humans. As of now, there is no indication of any connection between environmental exposure to RF fields and an increase in the risk of cancer or other diseases.

Other health effects

A number of other health issues have been identified which include changes in brain activity, sleep patterns and reaction time. The effect of these health issues are minor and are not of much importance.

Electromagnetic interference

When mobile phones are too close to certain medical devices like pacemakers, hearing aids and implantable defibrillators, they may interfere with the operation. However, the risk is lesser for newer versions of phones having the latest technology. Another common thing here is the interference of mobile phone signals with aircraft electronics. This is the reason why passengers must switch off their mobile phone during a flight.

Traffic Accidents

Mobiles phones serve as the biggest distraction during driving. It is extremely dangerous to use mobile phones while driving and may lead to road accidents. A big distraction, there are a number of reported cases of accidents due to the usage of the same. The increasing use of mobile phones has also bought to raise the risk of a number of underlying diseases and other conditions. However, to date, exact data on the possible diseases has not been available. In the near course of the future, we would have a clearer picture of the same to imply the probable ill effects.