Do Cell phones Really Fry Your Brain?
Jarvis student displays early onset of cell phone effects.
Effects of the cell phone phenomenon
The twenty minutes left before the lunch bell don't seem to be passing. Your stomach grumbles just as you feel a strange vibration along the side of your leg. Reaching into your pocket, you pull out your palm-sized cell phone. Ah, a text message.
It reads, {letz go 2 macs 4 lunch}.
After making sure your hawk-eyed teacher is helping a student in the far corner, you start typing rigorously, {NO!! kichen corna}.
Your friend’s reply comes back very quickly. {but ther fries sux!}
Welcome to the world of cell phones and all of their wonderful features. This social phenomenon has taken over the minds of millions of people throughout the world. Many have become senselessly addicted to their cell phones and are completely unaware of the controversies surrounding them.
Not a lot of Jarvisites remember the time when cell phones were the size of a pineapple and cost big bucks. Back in those days, very few owned one. In June 2004, Slate Magazine wrote that 1.35 billion cell phones can be found throughout the world. It is predicted that by 2008 there will be nearly 2 billion cell-phone users. This epidemic is making its way into almost every home in North America.
A survey regarding cell phone usage was given out to 94 students; 77% of them reported having a cell phone. Many report that cell phones are their “electronic best friends,” while others say that they would “die” without their phones.
Think about all the things people do with their phones. There is the obvious reason that parents look for when buying a cell phone for their teenage son or daughter: “Call if you’ll be late coming home…use it in emergencies…” Most parents use cell phones to keep tabs on their teenagers. Little do they know about the heavenly features these electronic devices offer.
The term ‘cell phone’ has a whole new meaning for students. Some words that come to the minds of many Jarvisites are music, camera, SMS, alarms, personal organizer, internet, camcorder, Bluetooth, ringtones, games, radio, compass, clock, et cetera.
Many cell phone users, mainly teenagers, have become infatuated with SMS (Short Message Service). The constant
usage of SMS has led to the creation of a new language where words are spelled in a way that would make English teachers faint, and numbers represent entire words.
It is a fantastic way of communicating with your friends while in class, but some Jarvis students say that text messaging isn’t all that great. They complain that it takes too long to type out messages using the phone’s miniscule keypad. It can be quite annoying, too, especially in emergencies like deciding where to go for lunch. However, BBC News stated on January 2005 that 78 million messages are sent around the world on a daily basis.
Despite the halo floating above cell phones, controversy also strikes this addictive phenomenon. The question is: do cell phones really fry your brain? Can the radiation from your phone lead to brain cancer?
The answer is no.
The levels of electromagnetic energy emitted by cell phones are too low to pose health risks for humans. In 2000, after a number of experiments and studies were conducted, the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP), based in Britain, stated that, “The Expert Group believes that on the basis of evidence currently available, there is no need for the general population to be worried about the use of mobile phones.”
Cell phones emit non-ionizing energy; this type of energy doesn’t have a negative impact on DNA or chemical bonds. On the other hand, ionizing energy
(found in x-rays) can damage such molecules, thus causing cancer.
Hence, cell phones don’t cause cancer. However, people are still apprehensive about this issue. Their main concern centers around the antenna which is the source of the radiation. People fear that the antenna is held too close to the head, thus exposing one to radiation.
Though these scientists say there is no connection between cell phones and cancer, there is some contradictory evidence at hand. There have been cases where cell phone users were diagnosed with brain cancer. The scary thing is the size of the brain tumors were identical to the antennas of the phones.
Thirty-seven percent of surveyed students responded that they would completely abandon their cell phones if scientists managed to prove that cell phones do lead to brain cancer. Twenty-six percent said they would still use it, but reduce the amount of time spent talking, and 11% didn’t know what they would do.
Even though there is believed to be no connection between cell phones and cancer, it is necessary that Jarvisites follow some advice concerning safe usage. This social phenomenon could possibly turn into a social disaster if you don’t think smart.
First of all, don’t spend hours and hours talking on your cell phone. Nine percent of surveyed students reported getting headaches after talking on their cell phone for more than an hour. As for those who are mindlessly addicted to their phone, use a headset; it’s the safer route to take when talking for a long time.
It’s best to be prepared for the worst because fiction today may become fact tomorrow.
JargOnline 2006 - 2007 
