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=**Cell Phone Risks **=

Introduction/Overview
 When the original mobile phone was introduced, it was targeted mainly to business executives as a car phone. It was away for the business executives to save time by taking phone calls on the way home from work. In the beginning mobile phones were not very “mobile” because they were bulky, very costly for the public, and they could only make calls. Since their introduction on the market, mobile phones have become light and inexpensive that almost anyone can purchase there own. The modern mobile phone more commonly known today as cell phones are capable of sending and receiving text messages, running computer applications, obtaining driving directions, and even allowing others to see your location. With over 30 years of cell phone development no one took the time to see if cell phones would be a danger to the human body, recent research has shown that cell phones emit EMR (electromagnetic radiation). In today’s world people are getting cell phones earlier in their life, kids are getting cell phones in middle or even elementary school. With that much exposure to the electromagnetic radiation in cell phones in the next couple decades we are going to see more cases of brain tumors in younger people. A study called Interphone was created a decade ago to give the public a better understanding of what the cell phone did to the human body. There were great expectations that it would produce a definitive answer but now with so many flaws in the study it cannot be clear if the cell phone gives off harmful radiation. Cell phones are supposed to make life easier but if there giving off harmful electromagnetic radiation and causing cancer, there actually causing more problems.

Facts

 * In 1973 Dr. Martin Cooper, manager for a division at Motorola developed the first portable phone (Kundi 316).
 * The Interphone was established almost a decade ago to determine if there is a link between cell phone use and cancer (Kundi 316).
 * Currently two billion people worldwide are using cell phones and the number is steadily increasing with new technology (Zyga 23).
 * In 1984 the cell phone was available to the public (Mead 422).

History  In 1973 Dr. Martin Cooper, manager for a division at Motorola developed the first portable phone. Four years later Dr. Martin Cooper launched a trial for the general public in Chicago, allowing two thousand people to use the new portable device. Then in 1984, the cell phone was widely available to the public and ever since the cell phone business has been growing. Currently two billion people worldwide are using cell phones and the number is steadily increasing with new technology (Zyga 23). The cell phone industry had such a rapid growth no one took the time to analyze the effects the cell phone could have on the human body. Cell phones have been around for roughly 30 years so there are really no long-term studies done. According to the American Cancer Society, brain tumors usually take anywhere from 10 to 15 years to form. The growth of the mobile phone has surprised the industry as well as the scientists involved in EMF (electromagnetic field) risk assessment (Kundi 316). Current studies are showing that cell phones are emitting electromagnetic radiation which is leading to serious health conditions, such as cancer.

[[image:first-cell-phone.jpg width="279" height="387" caption="One of the first mobile phones- Google images"]]


Case Study The Interphone study was established almost a decade ago to determine if there is a link between cell phone use and cancer. The study consist of 16 small studies that will combined into one big study, with the aim of determining whether cell phone use is associated with brain tumors. The study compared cell phone use in 6420 people who had cancer and 7658 people without cancer. About 60% of the study has been completed and published, but none of the research has been made available to the public. The only piece of information that has been shared is that there has been no clear link between cell phones and cancer (Kundi 316). That does not mean the small risk of cancer development from extensive cell phone use should be ruled out. The main problem with Interphone is that researchers gathered data by interviewing people about their past cell phone habits and exposure to other sources of radio-frequency (RF) radiation. Participants were asked how often, how long and on which side of the head they used their cell phones. They were also shown pictures of different phones to identify models they used. The problem is who can really remember when they used their cell phones five to 10 years ago or the length of time in which they used the phone? Of course no one can, and that is Interphone’s biggest flaw. Another flaw is technology because it has grown and changed significantly over the past decades. Most of these changes, such as switching from analogue to digital, have reduced RF exposure. Phone habits have also changed, with increased texting, use of speakers and hands free kits further reducing exposure. In addition, different people hold their phones at different angles and distance from their head while talking. This can also result in a large variation in RF exposure that could not be taken into account in the study. Although the study does not identify a clear link between cell phone use and cancer, the release of the study is much. The general public needs to be there own critic of the study because the media is likely to take the study out of context.

Biographical Sketches

Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first portable handset and the first person to make a call on a portable cell phone in April 1973.



Professor Henry Lai has been researching the effects of cell phones to the human body for years and he is convinced that cell phones pose the greatest potential health risks due to their proximity to the head.

Glossary of Terms
radio frequency - radiation with a wavelength of 100 km to 1 mm non-ionizing - type of radiation that is able to move atoms in a molecule around, but not enough to remove electrons. electromagnetic radiation- radiation consisting of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultra violet, x-rays, and gamma rays.

Guide to Further Research

 * Recommended Reads**

Carlo, George, and Martin Schram. //Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless// //Age//. New York City: Carroll & Graf, 2001. Print.

Kharif, Olga. "Cell Phones and Cancer: More Research Needed." //BusinessWeek// 29 Sept. 2009: 34. //Academic Search Premier//. Web. 1 Oct. 2009.

Nordenberg, Tamar. "Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?" //Consumers' Research// //Magazine// Dec. 2000: 18. //Health and Wellness Resource Center//. Web. 7 Oct. 2009.

Hyperlinks

[|Discovery]

cell phones and their cancer risks.

[|NCI]

Overview of cell phones and the concerns about their health risks done by the National Cancer Institute.

__Databases__
Academic Search Premier Health and Wellness Resource Center Opposing Viewpoints

