The Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation

While the dangers of using a cell phone are well known, many simply choose to ignore the risk or simply do not fully understand the extent to which they are damaging their health by being constantly connected through mobile devices.

Cell Phone Radiation Exposure

One widely held myth is that a cell phone user can protect themselves from the radio waves emitted from their device by simply using a headset. However, studies show that this offers little to no protection - environmental microwave radiation pollution cannot be blocked out by holding your cell phone farther away from the body.

Cell phones, satellites, cell phone towers and radio towers all emit radiation on the exact same frequency as a microwave oven. This electrical pollution is in your home, your car, your workplace, your shopping mall - anywhere that these devices are present, they are emitting radiation.

Moreover, you can't simply escape their effects by trying to avoid using a cell phone yourself, or even by making your workplace a radio-wave free environment. Because satellites and cell phone towers emit these waves and are present in our society in such huge amounts, the pollution is widespread.

Conclusive Studies?

It is true that much of the evidence pointing to cell phone radiation is inconclusive, suggestive or could be construed as circumstantial. However, this is because it is difficult and even unethical to perform the testing on humans.

Scientists classify electromagnetic waves as either "ionizing" or "non-ionizing". Ionizing radiation such as x-ray waves and atomic radiation, is known to cause cancer. Non-ionizing radiation - such as microwave radiation - has been believed to be safe until recently.

Many tests have been performed on animal subjects and the results are frightening. In one Swedish study, Neurosurgeon Leif Salford exposed young laboratory rats to cell phone radiation. The animals were later dissected to examine their brains for traces of albumin, a normal component of blood that does not usually cross the brain barrier. In 18 years of testing, these scientists have consistently found traces of albumin in the rat brain tissue. What does this mean? Simply put, the microwave and cell phone waves affected blood vessels and allowed a substance not normally present in the brain access to the organ.

In fact, even a one-time exposure to cell phone radiation, for only two minutes, showed that albumin was able to leak into the brain. Experts believe that this proves that reducing the amount of exposure does not prevent the damage from occurring.

Why is This Radiation Only Now Becoming a Problem?

Some skeptics are weary of these studies, claiming that if we've lived peacefully with radio and TV towers for this long, surely they must be safe.

In fact, researchers Örjan Hallberg and Olle Johansson beg to differ. Co-authors of the paper titled Cancer Trends During the 20th Century, they found that in the United States, Sweden and dozens of other countries, mortality rates for skin melanoma and for bladder, prostate, colon, breast and lung cancers closely paralleled the degree of public exposure to radio waves during the past hundred years.

Many others believe that the problem is the sheer amount of radiation we are now exposed to. As more and more satellites, cell phone towers and wireless networks pop up, it becomes harder to dismiss reported cases of microwave sensitivity as sheer coincidence.

In short, it is prudent to believe that cell phone radiation does indeed pose a danger to our health until studies can conclusively show that it is safe. There is simply too much evidence pointing to a serious health risk for us to simply discount the threat.