Have you ever considered the harmful effects of using your mobile phone?  Are you familiar with the term electromagnetic radiation? What they are, where they come from, whether they are harmless to our internal organs and the environment?

Cell phones generate electromagnetic fields (EMF) that are transmitted as waves of electric and magnetic energy that travel together at the speed of light. Other sources include devices that we encounter during typical everyday life, such as radio, wireless phones, TV, music players, ovens, computer devices and microwave radiation, these are called radiofrequency radiation (RF), and fall into the non-ionizing portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This means they do not have enough energy to strip electrons from atoms and molecules.

However, RF at the high end of the cell phone band and in the microwave band can cause rapid heating of biological tissue, increasing body temperature, disrupting behaviour, and causing tissue damage. The amount of radiation emitted by a cell phone varies depending on the design of the phone and the type of antenna, the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR).

It is thought that human brains may absorb 20 to 60 percent of this energy emitted by cell phones. Heavier use increases exposure. SARs are regulated, but researchers are now more concerned with non-thermal effects, which may account for the role of radiofrequency radiation in other diseases such as cancer, respiratory ailments, and infertility.
Consequently, exposure by a typical person to {EMF} electromagnetic field radiation continues to increase as the prevalence and sale of these devices also continues to increase.

NON-THERMAL EFFECTS:

Radiofrequency radiation can affect mammalian brains.
A 2003 Swedish study showed that weak pulsed microwaves could cause significant abnormal leakage of albumin across the blood brain barrier (BBB) in laboratory rats that were exposed to 2 hours of GSM mobile phone EMFs of different strengths. The BBB is a membranous structure that protects the brain from chemicals in the blood, while allowing essential substances to pass. Albumin is a relatively large molecule. This change in permeability means other large molecules, such as toxins, can enter the brain, putting this tissue at risk. Photomicrographs and scans showed extensive damage to brain tissue after exposure.

Radiofrequency radiation can affect proteins in human skin.
In February 2008, a Finnish researcher exposed 10 female volunteers to radiation from GSM phones that simulated an hour long cell phone call. He screened 580 different proteins in their skin cells and found the balance of two specific proteins altered in all of the volunteers. One protein increased by 89 percent and the other decreased by 32 percent. Although the exact role of these proteins or the genes encoding them isn’t known, this is the first study to demonstrate molecular effects of phone radiation on humans.

Is there a cause for concern? Myriad of research and studies has been commissioned and carried out throughout the globe with different results and views into the harmful effects of mobile phone usage.  There has been scientific controversy over the long-term effects of EMF during which many studies have been undertaken around the world.
A recent review article in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health stated that “all studies approaching reasonable latencies found an increased cancer risk associated with mobile phone use.” Although some government agencies, non-government organizations, and the cellular phone industry claim that most studies show wireless phones do not pose a risk, the jury is still out.

In order to investigate the risk of cancer for the mobile phone user, a cooperative project between 13 countries was launched in 2001 called INTERPHONE.  The multinational study designed to provide definitive answers as to whether there is a link between cell phone radiation and brain tumours was coordinated by the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) with a due report date of 2006, has not been released, and it appears the draft report and its findings are delayed by controversy, no report has being published to date.
Unwilling to wait any longer, some individual countries have chosen to release parts of their own studies that indicate a significantly increased risk of developing gliomas, parotid, and acoustic neuromas after more than 10 years of cell phone use. These preliminary results suggest it may be wise to take some precautions.

Did you know that children under the age of 12 are the most susceptible and sensitive to the possible effects of exposure to EMF?

The 10 commandments for using mobile phones as recommended in current literature by worldwide scientists and cancer specialists on the health effects of mobile phone use are:

1. Do not allow children under the age of 12 to use a mobile phone except in emergencies.  This is because the developing organs of a child or foetus are the most sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
2. Try to keep the mobile phone away from the body while communicating.  Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode, or a hands-free kit equipped with an air tube in the last 20 centimetres, which seems to transmit fewer electromagnetic waves than a traditional hands-free kit, or a wireless Bluetooth headset.
3. Avoid carrying your phone on your body at all times, even on standby.  Do not keep it near your body at night particularly if you are pregnant.  For example, I sleep with my phone by keeping it under my pillow or bedside table.  Best advice is not to do this.  Turn off your phone or put it in off-line mode at night because this stops electromagnetic emissions.
4. Carry your phone on you if you must but make sure that the key pad {the face} is positioned toward your body and the antenna side {the back} is positioned towards the outside.  This is because, the back of your phone emits a   stronger magnetic field. 
5. Stand away from a person using their mobile phone and avoid using your mobile phone in places like the tram, the train or the bus where you can passively expose your neighbours to magnetic fields emitted by your phone.
6. Your mobile phone must be used to make contact or make conversations lasting only a few minutes.  It is best to call back from a landline with a cord.  Biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure, cordless phones and mobile phones use the same microwave technology.
7. Limit the power of the electromagnetic field emitted by switching sides regularly when using your mobile phone.  It is advisable to wait until your correspondent has picked up before putting your mobile phone to the ear.
8. Avoid using your mobile phone when the signal is weak, when moving at high speed in a car or train.  This is because power is automatically increased to a maximum as the mobile phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
9. Limit the duration of exposure at all times by communicating via text messaging rather than making a call.
10. Chose a device with the lowest SAR possible: Specific Absorption Rate is the unit for measuring the quantity of electromagnetic energy that is absorbed by the human body when a mobile phone is used, and is expressed in Watts per kilogram (W/kg). The maximum authorized SAR in Europe is 2 W/kg according to the guidelines of the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection).

The relationship between mobile phones and health is the focus of many research programs throughout the world.  Thanks to these guidelines, individuals can protect themselves against a potential risk of cancer while waiting for the governments to take action and protect populations.

Remember, the fight for a sustainable economy is the new industrial revolution.