HAZARDS OF MOBILE PHONE:

Introduction:

Health concerns over mobile phone use. If RF radiation is high enough, it has a ‘thermal’ effect, which means it raises body temperature. There are concerns that the low levels of RF radiation emitted by mobile phones could cause health problems such as headaches or brain tumour.

There are certain harmful health effects, which might be caused by the immoderate use of cell phones. A part from cancer risk, mobile phones influence our nervous system. They may cause headaches, decreased attention, shortness of temper, sleep disorders and depression, mostly among teenagers. Cell phones emit low levels of non-ionizing radiation when in use. The type of radiation emitted by cell phones is also referred to as radio frequency (RF) energy. As stated by the National Cancer Institute, “there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk in humans.

Scientists have reported adverse health effects of using mobile phones including changes in brain activity, reaction times, and sleep patterns. Children have the potential to be at greater risk than adults for developing brain cancer from cell phones.

How are mobile phones harmful to the environment?

It’s an environmental disaster, because building every phone requires the polluting extraction of irreplaceable elements like gold, cobalt or lithium. To make matters worse, the average user switches phone every two years without recycling the retired device, generating toxic waste and squandering materials.

How do phones cause cancer?

They don’t have enough energy to cause cancer by directly damaging the DNA (genes) inside cells. RF waves are different from stronger (ionizing) types of radiation such as x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet (UV) rays. Ionizing radiation can break the chemical bonds in DNA, which might lead to cancer.

Following are some health hazards of using mobile phone continuously;

1. Sleep disorder:

A study, which has been conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), states that excessive use of mobile phone during bed time adversely affects the quality of sleep. Increased usage is associated with fatigue and insomnia. The blue light emitted by your cell phone screen restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle (aka circadian rhythm). This makes it even more difficult to fall asleep and wake up the next day.

2. Increases Accident Risk:

385 people died in car crashes linked to texting while driving in in 2018. 1.6 Million crashes happen every year because of someone using a phone while driving. About 14% of all fatal crashes involve some sort of cell phone use. Around 390,000 injuries happen yearly from accidents caused by texting & driving.

Of all the activities associated with distracted driving, sending text messages is the most dangerous. A person is 23 times more likely to have a motor vehicle crash while sending a text message than if they were only driving. That number towers over the other activities associated with distracted driving. Furthermore, texting while driving is now the leading cause of death among teenagers – with the number of deaths surpassing those resulting from drinking and driving.

3. Infertility:

There is increasing concern that the use of mobile phones may be associated with decreased semen quality and infertility. Cell phone radiation may negatively affect sperm quality in men by decreasing the semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm count, motility, and viability, thus impairing male fertility. Beware men! Your phone can even make you infertile. As of now there s enough evidence to show that mobile phone radiation decreases sperm count in male rats. To identify whether the same holds true in humans, Wdowiak A and colleagues carried out a research which revealed that the group of men who used mobile phones had a decreased sperm cell count in their semen, leading to infertility.

Using a laptop to surf the internet wirelessly can significantly damage the quality of mens sperm and even kill them, scientists are warning. Radiation may also destroy sperm cells and the stem cells that make sperm. Radiation therapy to the brain can damage the pituitary gland and decrease the production of testosterone and sperm. For some types of cancers, the testicles can be protected from radiation through a procedure called testicular shielding.

4. Eye Sight Problems:

A new study says that smartphones may ruin your eyesight. Researchers at the University of Toledo, in Ohio, have found that exposure to blue-light the glow emitted from most smartphones, tablets and laptops  promotes the growth of “poisonous molecules” in your eyes, leading to macular degeneration.

Mobile phone eye strain may cause dry eye and irritation, painful throbbing headaches around the eye region, and even blurred vision. However, we use our phones differently to computers. With computers, we may spend hours looking at a screen. A lot of people use their mobiles to read e-books, do web surfing, etc apart from texting. When you do so, the glaring screen and small font size put a lot of strain on your eyes, especially if you re reading in the dark. Mobile devices have a smaller screens so you tend squint or open up your eyes wide open and blink lesser number of times. This can cause dry eyes, irritation and reddening. Staring at those tiny screens can bring on an array of eye issues such as blurred vision, headaches, sore eyes, headaches, muscle strain and dry eye.

5. Mental health:

The science on smartphones is far from settled. Brain cancer, nerve damage, and various tumors have all been touted as potential negative consequences of regular mobile phone use. While no solid evidence has been found to prove it’s dangerous, this doesn’t mean there is no cause for concern. Experts say the barrage of text alerts and our constant social media engagement on our smartphones can take a toll on our mental and emotional health. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the 2020 election, our cellphones can act as a direct conduit to anxiety with a stream of upsetting information at a very stressful time.

Some experts suggest that excessive technology use may impair a child’s ability to function and relate socially. This reduced socializing from overuse of electronics can also affect mental health. Numerous studies have shown that more social connections can lower your risk of heart disease and death. The survey showed that there were negative psychological effects of smartphone usage on the young generation. They felt depressed and anxious while using cell phones. On the other hand, some youngsters showed relax behavior even without having a cell phone.

6. Affects on Relationships:

The way you use your mobile device around your family can affect your relationships. Using a cell phone for work purposes during family time can increase distress and strain on a family. While using their cell phones, parents talk to their kids less, respond more slowly, and overreact to being interrupted. Phubbing is basically defined as looking at a cell phone rather than interacting with the person you are with, and research shows that it can damage your relationship with your romantic partner and may also harm your bond with your kids. While cell phones certainly keep us connected, it turns out they can be doing the opposite when it comes to your relationship. Smartphones can actually damage things between you and your partner and make you more depressed.