Are cellphones linked to cancer?

If you’re like me, you can be found almost anytime or anywhere with your cell phone. There have been rumors for awhile about how the radiation from cell phones causes cancer. For awhile I got pretty paranoid and would not keep my cellphone in my pocket or near my bed when I slept. But being as attached to my cellphone as I am, I later chose to ignore these rumors and go along with my technology loving life.

So why are people saying that cell phones are linked with cancer? According to the National Cancer Institute, there is radiation which comes out of the cellphones which can harm the body. By holding cellphones close to your ears is makes it easier for the body to absorb the radiation, which increases chances of cancer. The more someone is on the phone, they are at a  higher risk for cancer or harmful health consequences. In a study done by the National Cancer Institute, the side of the body where the phone was held glucose metabolism was significantly lower than before, and lower than the opposite side of the body (National Cancer Institute). According to the American Cancer Society, people can also be in danger depending on what type of cell phone they use and their distance to surrounding cellphone towers.

 

picture from http://askdianne.com/talking-on-the-cell-phone

What damages are suspected to be caused by cellphone usage? Because cellphones are normally held next to the head, researchers have also been on the lookout for tumors as well as cancer (American Cancer Society). Researchers have been exposing animals to the same types of radiation to see if tumors of other harmful things will be caused but so far it has been hard to find a direct link between and two and the results have been varying (American Cancer Society). As we learned in class, there is a definite difference between providing evidence and proving something. Another study done exclusively with rats exposed them to radiation for nine hours out of the day for two years (American Cancer Society). The results of this study found small tumors on the sides of the hearts of the rats. Interestingly enough, the number of these tumors was much higher in males than females (American Cancer Society). I personally do not think we can trust the results of this study because no person spends nine hours talking on the phone each day unless it is a requirement of their job. Also, the type of radiation used in the study is much more dangerous than the type emitted from cell phones (American Cancer Society), so this study seems unrealistic.

So what can people do if they are trying to stay safe from the consequences of cell phone radiation? In order to restrict cell phone usage, try talking on the phone with it on speaker, using the bluetooth option in cars, or texting more (American Cancer Society). I for one don’t really talk on the phone that much, so researching this topic definitely calmed my fears a little bit.

Sources Used :

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/cellular-phones

3 thoughts on “Are cellphones linked to cancer?

  1. Alexandra Nicole Iaccino

    I remember people always used to tell me not to keep my phone in my pocket too and I never really understood why. Your post and article you shared was very informational about the harms of keeping a cellphone close to you. I know that I’ll definitely be distancing myself from my phone when I can rather than have it on me all the time like I do now. I also found this article (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer-probably-but-it-s-complicated/) that also talks about the link between cell phone use and cancer.

  2. Madelyn Erin Peikin

    This article was very interesting and I have heard about cell phones being linked to cancer multiple times. I never really understood why, but after reading this, I have a better idea. Although you mentioned the fact that there is no evident proof on the fact that cell phones cause cancer, I do think it is better and safer to avoid talking on the phone for long periods as much as possible. After reading about the study dealing with rats, I agree with the fact that this study is probably not reliable because of the fact that nobody actually spends nine hours talking on the phone each day. I will definitely stick to texting and keeping my phone on speaker from now on! Thanks again for sharing! Here is a link that I thought you might find interesting considering the topic of your article. https://www.cnet.com/news/9-things-you-should-know-about-that-recent-cell-phone-cancer-link-study/

  3. Jessy Severino

    I always heard of the myth of using cellphones can cause cancer people cancer in the future. I didn’t know it was that serious! So cellphones really do produce radiation. And by having the phone next to your ear it absorbs it even more. WOW! this really has me in shock I wasn’t aware of how much damage talking on the phone can have. Guess I’ll be using earbuds from now on. Overall this blog post was very insightful and helpful and just interesting information to know.

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