The 411 Of Cell Phone Use

Introduction
CPSC 203 T06 Group 2

Group Members: Filip Chrostek, Marianne Dunn, Erica Jeong, Stephan De Freitas, Katelyn Kowalsky

Initial Statement & Reasoning
Cell phones have become an esential part of our everyday lives. Are we using this convenience at the expense of our health and safety?

There have been many conflicting arguments as to whether or not cell phones are directly linked to cancers and road safety. This page has been designed to summarize, describe, and conclude the concerns and opinions regarding this issue.

Cell Phone History
The simple and small technology, called the cell phone, is a technology that has revolutionized the world in terms of communication. Cell phones have made it extremely convenient for people to communicate with each other locally, and internationally. In the 1960s, the Finland company, Nokia, developed the very first mobile radio device. This device was specially used in police cars for easier communication between vehicles. Shortly after Nokia’s invention introduced, Bell and AT&T labs were trying to establish a better communication system; however, their main focus was for automobile use. Taking the basic construction, and scientific ideas behind the radio device, a man named, Dr. Martin Cooper, made the first cell phone in 1977. Cooper, the former general manager of Motorola’s Communications Systems Divisions, gave approximately 2000 people a free trial to the cell phone in order to see whether this invention was worth producing at a mass scale. Soon after this trial, there was a high consumer demand for the cell phone. The unbelievable consumer demand forced companies, such as Bell, AT&T, and Motorola, to compete against each other. Later, rising companies, including Samsung, LG, and Telus, joined the competition to improve cell phones. Better transmission and reception, increasing capacity, and designing an overall appealing look of cell phones were some of the areas the companies were focusing on.

Cell Phone Usage
In the United States of America alone, in 1991, about 7.6 million people were cell phone carriers. Furthermore, the numbers soared to 120 million people in just ten years. In the year 2006, Canada alone had 16.8 million people owning a cell phone. To look at cell phone statistics in a large scale, in 2005, about 2.4 billion people in the world subscribed to a cell phone service. This is about 1/3 of the world’s population. The possible reasons for the boost in numbers are the increase in signal towers to expand connection range, and the several affordable phone plans being presented to the public.



Correlation Between Cell Phones and Cancer
The world around us has become increasingly reliant on the use of technology and electronics to provide convenience and ease in our daily lives. Wireless phones have given us the possibility of being reachable at any time, in any place. The technology is convenient, but it uses electromagnetic radiation to transmit its signals. As with any technology that uses radiation, specualtion arose as to whether or not these waves were harmful to humans. Scientists and health officials have released numerous studies and reports concerning this topic.

Road Safety and Cell Phones
Distractions have always been present while driving, such as talking to a passenger, trying to find the appropriate exit sign, and listening to the radio. In 2005 there were over two billion cell phone users and as time has progressed people have become more careless as to where and when they use their cell phones. Social convenience has been given a higher priority than watching speed limits and stop signs. Over the years the number of accidents directly linked to driver distraction has significantly increased. While texting or talking on the phone, a driver's reaction time is decrease.

Cancer Risks and Statistics
There have been countless numbers of recent studies performed with the question of whether or not cell phones and the radiation they emit are harmful to humans. Although the incidence of brain cancer has increased by twenty-five percent since 1973, there is no direct way to link this increase to cell phones.

Cell phones emit radio-frequency (RF) energy which is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Exposure to high levels fo RF energy can heat body tissue, and have been believed to pose a cancer risk. There has been concern that the radiation admitted from cell phones can cause dizziness, headaches, and brain cancers. Radio waves emitted by cell phones are absorbed by the human head. The rate at which the radiation is absorbed by the human body is referred to as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and many government regulating agencies have set a maximum SAR level for modern headsets. If cell phones were to have an SAR value between 100 and 140w/kg they would have a more harmful effect on the body. At this point in time there have been more scientific studies that prove that the amount of radiation produced is not significant enough to cause any form of serious harm to the human body. When living tissue is exposed to radiation it is heated. Most of the heating effect for cell phones will occur at the surface of the head, causing the temperature of the body to increase by about a fraction of a degree.

Road Safety Risks and Statistics
The main concern behind cell phone use while driving stems from the level of associated distraction of the driver from the road. Often drivers are more focused on their conversation than what is going on around them. The use of cell phones inhibits a driver's ability to properly gauge a situation. The reaction time is significantly decreased whenever full attention isn't being given.

Cell phone use while driving has become somewhat of a normality these days. There have been numerous statistical studies that emphasize the risk with this behaviour. Steering ablititly while using cell phones has been recorded to be reduced by up to ninety-one percent. According to a research study released by The Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, over thirty percent of all collisions on the road involve some form of driver distraction. In the same study, it was found that over thirty-seven percent of teens consider texting while driving to be extremly distracting and unsafe. Even though such a large majorty of people find the task of using their mobile phones while behind the wheel to be incredibly dangerous, people are still doing it and many accidents are directly linked to this behaviour. Within the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company study it was found that thirty-two percent of men, and twenty-five percent of women admit that they do not drive as safely as they should while using their cell phones. The Transport Research Labratory in the United Kingdom found that when their subjects sent text messages while driving their reaction speed was reduced by thirty-five percent. This is a greater reduction than those who are under the influence of marijuana, who only experience a twenty-one percent reduction, and those who have been drinking and driving who only suffered a twelve percent reaction loss.

Cancer Precautions


Due to the somewhat uncertain level of scientific knowledge on the matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends minimizing your usage, using cell phones with low radiation, using hands-free technologies (to reduce radiation to the head), and to limit the use near infants. The INTERPHONE study involves a series of multination studies and is coordinated by the Internation Agency for Research on Cancer. The primary goal of these studies is to assess and determine whether or not RF engery exposure from cellular phones is associated to the increased risk of malignant or benign brain tumors, and other head and neck tumors. As the results of this study are revealed, there is even more reason to believe that cancers of the central nervous system of the brain are not associated with cell phone use, even for those who had used cell phones for over ten years. The use of cell phones in medical centres and hospitals is discouraged and/or prohibited. This is due to the fact that cell phones can intefere with medical equipment, and their ringtones and sounds can often be mistaken for sounds coming from medical machines and devices.

Accident Prevention


In an effort to reduce the number of collisions that are caused by driver distraction and cell phones many states and provinces have placed laws into regulation to ban cell phone use by drivers. In the United States, Washington became the first state to make texting and driving in January 2008. Alasksa, Louisiana, Minnesota, and New Jersey shortly followed suit. In 2003 the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador banned the use of cell phones while driving. Since then, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Ontario have passed similiar laws. In a further attempt to lower the risk of an accident connected to cell phones and driving, many cell phone companies have added new technological features to their phones, such as wireless blue-tooth accessories, speakerphone, and headsets. However, the best method of precaution will always be to keep your cell phone turned off while behind the wheel. General Motors has developed a hands-free system, OnStar, which provides security, navigation, and communication that discourages the necessity of having a cell phone in your vehicle.

Summary and Conclusion
Through data analysis and research it can be concluded that cell phones do not pose a great threat to our general health but can put our safety at a great risk if used while behind the wheel. In the past many people have focused on the concern and belief that mobile devices increase the chances of developing brain tumors and other various health risks due to radiation. The majority of beliefs connected to brain cancer and tumors caused by phones have been proven false and it has been stated that there is not a high enough amount of radiation emitted to the head and body via cell phones to actually pose a threat to human health. However, often people take the avaliabiltiy and convenience of cell phones for granted and use them at inappropriate times in which they put themselves in danger. Using cell phones while driving is known to distract the driver so significantly that reaction times are slowed and steering ability is hindered.

Although cell phones have advanced the technological world and made day-to-day human life a lot easier and efficent, they must be used under conditions that are not dangerous or unsafe. As technology advances further, there are many oppurtunities for people to choose to use their cell phones in a responsible manner whether it be through hands free options or headsets.