Radiations from
smartphones –What effect it can have on our health?
Smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. With
the rapid growth in technology, today we depend on our smartphones for
countless purposes, ranging from booking a seat in train or bus or calling a
cab to your house to shopping your favourite accessories online, all this at a
single click. There are so many advantages and no one can deny that. But there
is a darker side to it- do we consider the long term effects of using
smartphones in our daily lives? Well, we may be too busy to think about it,
given that we have too many arguments in favour of using smartphones or
tablets.
The effect of radiations from smartphones is a subject of
concern and discussion due to the enormous increase in mobile phone usage
throughout the world. Before addressing our prime question i.e. to what extent
can smartphone radiations affect our health, let’s take a quick look at the
types of electromagnetic radiations. The electromagnetic radiations can be of
two types- ionizing and non-ionizing radiations. The non-ionizing radiations do
not have sufficient energy to break the small chemical bonds or remove the
tightly bound electrons from the atoms. The type of non-ionizing radiations
includes visible light, sound waves or microwaves. On the other hand, ionizing
radiations possess enough energy to remove the electrons from atoms and they
can be a serious threat to human health, in case of long exposure to such
radiations. These include radiations such as X-rays, gamma rays or ultraviolet
light. Now the point is in which category the radiations from
smartphones can be placed.
Well, it is a matter of relief that smartphone radiations
fall in the category of non-ionising radiations. They have very low frequency
and high wavelength. The following facts can be stated in this regard-
- · Wi-Fi connections operate between five main frequency ranges: 2.4GHz, 3.6GHz, 4.9GHz, 5GHz and 5.9GHz.
- · Bluetooth operates on the 2.4 GHz band.
- Cellular connectivity in smartphones operate on a multitude of frequencies, anywhere from 700MHz to 2.7GHz
So it can be safely concluded that smartphone radiations do
not have such harmful effects as caused by X-rays or ultraviolet light. But
prolonged exposure of our body to smartphones causes tissue heating since the
smartphone gets heated up. Although a large amount of radiations is absorbed by
the skin, so there is a negligible rise in our own body temperature. It should
be noted here that mobile phones should never be used when the battery is below
the critical level, since the radiations are three to four times higher than in
the normal case.
But wait, the issue is not yet solved. Though it is clearly
proved that there are no short term effects yet there is no idea about the
effects of these radiations in the long run. Since the mobile phones have been
in use only for less than two decades, there is no evidence that can establish
the relation between radiations emitted from these devices and our health. No
one can tell what will be the condition after 40-50 years, when the kids of
this ‘smart generation’ addicted to the use of smartphones, will become
grandparents.
Another major cause of concern is whether there is any
association between smart phone usage and cancer/tumour. Again there is no
evidence to prove if there is any relation, since many types of cancer can’t be
detected until many years after the interaction that may lead to it.
In May 2011, the International Agency for Research and Cancer
(IARC), the cancer research group of the World Health Organisation (WHO),
declared cell phones to be a Group 2B ‘possible carcinogen’, meaning a
‘possible cancer causing agent’.
The World Health Organisation
categorises cell phone radiation emissions as ‘possible human carcinogens’.
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Now since there is no clear evidence to show whether such
radiations are harmful to our body (and if they are, are they harmful to the
extent that we should get alarmed), we can choose between two alternatives. One
is to shut our mind to all this logic given by different organisations
concerned with human health and believe the effects are negligible. The other
option (that will appeal to those who are health conscious) is to play safe and
minimise the use of smartphones. Well, it sounds too tough and quite
impossible, isn’t it?
So here is another alternative to it- ‘smart way’ of using
smartphones. A few things must be kept in mind and we can continue to use our
mobiles and cell phones without any worries, like using a well shielded headset
or earphones for calling, instead of directly holding it close to your ears. It
is advisable to use smartphones in areas of better reception i.e. stronger the
signal, lesser you have to worry about its consequences. Just get to an open
space, if you get a weak signal inside your room. Another precaution that is
worth mentioning here is never to sleep with the smartphone under your pillow.
So it’s better to follow these steps until we are assured that the smartphones
pose no serious threat to human health.
