THE EFFECTS OF CELL PHONES ON HUMAN HEALTH 1

The Negative Effects of Cell Phones on Human Health Research

CIS 2380 Introduction to Computers
December 5, 2013
Bonnie Green 219171
Madonna University

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Abstract
This research paper explores the adverse effects that modern-day cell phones have on human
health. There are three main concerns when it comes to the effects of cell phones: cell phone
operation while driving (otherwise known as distracted driving), cell phone radiation and the
cause of different kinds of cancer, and cell phone radiation thwarting the abilities of males to
reproduce. Each issue is delved into separately, and measures to be taken are mentioned
throughout as well as at the end of the paper.
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The Negative Effects of Cell Phones on Human Health Research
Cell phones, found in the hands of just about everyone these days, from teenagers to the
elderly, are quite convenient in terms of being able to communicate with others at a distance via
phone calls or text messages or being able to search things on the Internet or listen to music all
quite easily. However, after the explosion of cell phonesand, more importantly, smart
phonesthey have acted as a plague on human health instead of solely serving as a convenience
tool or even a toy. Recent statistics and studies indicate that smart phones have been hindering
human health in three significant ways: distracted driving, radiation, which ultimately leads to
cancer, and hindering reproductive capabilities. This paper delves into the numbers of distracted
driving accidents and deaths as well as the scientific research behind the smart phone radiation
epidemic, among other health issues.
It is important to first know what exactly is distracted driving. Distraction.gov defines it
as
Any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving.
All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of
distractions include: texting, using a cell phone or smartphone, eating and drinking,
talking to passengers, grooming, reading, including maps, using a navigation system,
watching a video, [or] adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player. But, because text
messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the
most alarming distraction (What Is Distracted Driving?, 2012)
Many people will argue that they do not have an issue with talking on the phone or changing the
song on their iPod while driving; however, the numbers of accidents and deaths do not lie.
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In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to
3,267 in 2010. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes
involving a distracted driver in 2011, compared to 416,000 people injured in 2010. In
2010, nearly one in five crashes (18%) in which someone was injured involved distracted
driving. In June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the
US, up nearly 50% from June 2009. (Distracted Driving, 2013)
People who are older and have lived a majority life without cell phones, however, are used to
driving safer. As it turns it, it is mostly younger people who get into accidents due to distracted
driving. Cell phone-using drivers in the United States under age 20 and ages 3039 had the
highest rates of fatal accidents (Hosansky, 2012). Even though talking on a cell phone while
behind the wheel may not seem harmful to ones health at the time, the threat is so great that it
has become recognized by the United States Legislation, and most states (33 out of 50, to be
exact, such as Michigan, New York, Illinois, and California) even enforce a strict ban on texting
or any cell phone use while behind the wheel, where three other states (Nebraska, Iowa, and
Virginia) have a law in which the second time one is caught operating a cell phone behind the
wheel consequences a ticket, and six states (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri,
Mississippi, and Alabama) only have a texting ban for new drivers; shockingly, the remaining
seven states (Hawaii, Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, and Ohio) have
no texting and driving restrictions whatsoever (Hosansky, 2012). President Obama even
prohibits federal employees from texting while driving on government business or with
government equipment (Distracted Driving, 2013).
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While distracted driving is a completely preventable form of cell phones endangering
human health, the radiation aspect is much more complicated. A cell phone is a microwave
radio that works on much lower power but at roughly the same wavelength as a microwave
oven, and those very waves have the ability to penetrate and damage the average human brain
(Davis, 2010, p. 245). Even though brain cancer can take decades to develop, and cell
phone technology is quite different from what it was a decade ago (Davis, 2010, p. 174),
scientists are still unsure of what exactly causes brain tumors in patients. Many report that they
used a cell phone often; for some, the tumor is even right next to [the] ear where he used his cell
phone (Davis, 2010, p. 173). Brain tumors are a tough nut to crack. In certain cases, people
who use their cell phone (or multiple phones) frequently for work experience a chronic mood
swing, so to speak. The patient may become angrier or more forgetful than in the past, lashing
out at those around him without provocation (Davis, 2010, p. 170). When a tumor is finally
diagnosed, all the puzzle pieces come together. Oftentimes, if the patient was a heavy cell-
phone-user, the tumor is pressing against the right frontal lobe [which is] the core of
empathy, knowing the difference between right and wrong, and many other personality and
cognitive functions (Davis, 2010, p. 171). Davis, a Ph.D. and M.P.H., advises that one should
only use your phone when the signal quality is good. The weaker the signal, the more the radio
frequency has to boost itself to get connected, increasing your exposure, as well as to text more
often and when doing so hold the phone away from your body in your hands or on some kind of
barrier in your lap. Phones use less radiation to send text [messages] than to speak, and
texting keeps radiation [away] from your head (Davis, 2010, p. 246). Another growing concern
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for chiefly women is the link between cell phone radiation and breast cancer. It is quite
convenient for women to keep their cell phone tucked into their bras for easy access, but, like
with brain tumors, over time, the radiation from those cell phones can cause unwanted growth in
breast tissue. Cell phones microwave radiation seeps directly into soft fatty tissue of the
breast, remarks Davis (2013). Companies like Apple and Blackberry advise that people do not
hold phones directly on the body, at least a distance of .98 inches (Davis, 2010, p. 88) away,
but the warnings are often buried in the manufacturers instruction material that few people
read (Davis, 2013).
A more obscure and overlooked way that cell phones can harm human health is that it
hinders the reproductive capabilities of men. An easy way for people to have their phone handy
and ready to go is in their pockets, but for men, this can dramatically decrease their chances of
becoming fathers if they choose to do so. Studies in many nations find that men who keep cell
phones turned on in their pockets for hours a day have fewer sperm with more deformities
(Davis, 2010, p. 138). Due to the fact that male reproductive organs are out in the open, so to
speak, instead of protected inside the body like a womans, they are more vulnerable to the
intense effects of radiation from cell phones. The radiation does not directly damage the
sperms DNA, at first, but rather it weakens the ability of a sperm to reach its destination, a
womans egg (Davis, 2010, p. 143). What happens is that
Energy for all this movement comes from thousands of furnace-like mitochondrial cells
in sperm that work as a kind of onboard engine. If electrons that hold together these
cellular machines fall out of place after exposure to cell phone radiation, this produces
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dangerous free radicals. These rogue materials carom about, seeking whatever alliance
they can, and rob sperm of their vigor. If enough free radicals are generated through
leaking mitochondria, this can actually harm DNA by weakening the basic structure of
genetic material. (Davis, 2010, p. 143)
And the evidence is not only apparent in humans, but in other animals as well. Researchers at
the Maleka Manipal Medical College in India took young white ratscomparable to teenage
boys in developmentand exposed them for just one hour a day to radiation from a smart
phone, and what the researchers discovered was that the exposed rats developed significantly
more damaging free radicals in their blood, reduced sperm counts, and lowered amounts of male
hormones (Davis, 2010, p. 144).
Measures must be taken to prevent cancer or other aggravations later in life due to
radiation from our communication devices. The easiest thing to do is to turn the phone off at
night when it is not in use. Tweens and teens and the rest of us should not sleep with cell
phones on under pillows or next to the bed all night (Davis, 2010, p. 246). In order to prevent
sperm deformations in men or breast cancer in women, cell phones (if turned on) should be kept
in a separate entity, such as a backpack, purse, or bag. If you keep it on your waist, turn it off
(Davis, 2010, p. 246). As before stated, cancer can take decades to develop, but it is vital that
people take action now before it is too late.

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References
Davis, D. (2010). Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has
Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family. New York, NY: Dutton.
Davis, D. (2013). Keep That Cell Phone Out of Your Bra. Retrieved from
http://ehtrust.org/keep-that-cell-phone-out-of-your-bra/
Distracted Driving. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/
Hosansky, D. (2012, May 4). Distracted driving. CQ Researcher, 22, 401-424. Retrieved from
http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
What Is Distracted Driving? (2012). Retrieved from http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-
the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html