Cell phones dangerous to health?

Recently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution requiring mobile phone retailers to post information at the point of sale on how much radiation level is being emitted by the cell phone units. This information is already provided in the user manual provided by the manufacturers. But the law requires that the information about the SAR value (the measure of cell phone radiation level) should be displayed more openly before the consumer makes the purchase. The mobile phone industry reacted with indignation, obviously, raising the constitutionality of the resolution. Whether or not the court agrees remains to be seen, but let's look at what motivated the legislation. Let's look at a couple of scientific studies on the issue.

One study that got some attention, especially from the male population, is the Cleveland Clinic study in 2007 that found frequent use of the mobile phone can cause male infertility. Men who make calls four or more hours a day were found to have poorer sperm quality compared to those who don't. The same research team published a study more recently where they found that the sperm samples exposed to mobile phone frequencies had higher levels of free radicals and lower levels of the protective antioxidants, as compared to sperm samples not exposed to the phone radiation . The exposed sperm samples had reduced motility, function and overall health. This is cause for concern, particularly with men who are planning to raise a family.

Research has also shown that mobile phone frequencies can cause the development of cataracts. Israeli scientists from Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion in Israel, found that long-term exposure to microwave radiation from mobile phones can lead to damage to the eye lens. They also found that part of this damage appears to accumulate over time and does not seem to heal.

Mobile phone radiation has also been linked to eye cancer. The study, carried out by a team from the University of Essen, in Germany, investigated a form of eye cancer called uveal melanoma, in which tumors form in the layer that makes up the iris and base of the retina. They examined 118 people with uveal melanoma and obtained details about the frequency of their use of mobile phones. They compared this with information from a control group of people who don't have the eye cancer. When the results were analyzed they found the cancer victims had a much higher rate of mobile phone use.

More studies need to be done before anything conclusive can be drawn about cell phone radiation and its effects on human health that everybody can agree on. A lot of experts are of the opinion this is similar to the tobacco issue, or the asbestos issue. Unlike the tobacco, however, the mobile phone is here to stay. The technology just needs to be improved in order to ensure consumer safety. In the meantime, let's use this essential device more wisely.