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Mobile phones - could they be harmful?

Mike Evans and Linda Ellis

Many types of communication network use electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation travels in waves that are affected by electric and magnetic fields. This means that the direction they are travelling in can be changed when passing though such a field.

Different forms of radiation have different wavelengths. This is usually demonstrated by the electromagnetic spectrum. Generally speaking, the shorter the wavelength, the more energy the wave can carry and so the more likely it is to harm the body.

The electromagnetic spectrum shows how energy travels in waves.

Microwaves

Mobile phones use microwave radiation, the same type used in heating food in microwave ovens. Have you ever noticed your ear getting warm if you use a mobile phone for long?

Different forms of electromagnetic radiation have been known to harm living tissue. For instance, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays can cause cancer. Thermal radiation (heat) can burn, and high-energy microwaves (shorter wavelength) can 'cook' tissues.

Scientists are concerned that, because microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation, they might damage tissue (for example, causing cancer) if we are exposed to them for any length of time.

Currently, there is no evidence to support this fear.Scientists have suggested caution however, and have advised children and students not to use mobile phones excessively, because a child's growing tissue is more susceptible to radiation than an adult's developed tissue.

Links

The Global Change Network
Article by a doctor on the possible risks of using mobile phones.

Which Online
Results of an investigation into hands-free mobile phone kits.

Activity

1. Identify statements on the above websites that express scientific evidence, and those that solely represent the opinions of the author.
2. What further investigations would you carry out to establish whether the health risks of mobile phones are real or not?