Reply #22: Cell phones can be a health risk. The effects are due to holding the cell phone next to your head. [View All]

[AdHocSolver]

The cell phone, like any radio frequency transmitter, radiates its RF energy by concentrating that energy in an antenna which couples the signal to the surrounding environment.

If you hold the cell phone next to your head, part of the concentrated microwave energy is aimed right into your skull. The amount of penetration depends on the power generated and the frequency of the signal.

Just as in a microwave oven, the RF energy produces heat by agitating the atoms in the material, such as in a piece of meat, and the friction produces the heat.

A microwave oven generates 500 to 600 watts of power. This higher level of power can escape and cause health damage to anyone exposed. Two important safety features are incorporated into a microwave oven.

One is the use of door switches that are supposed to shut off the microwave immediately if the door is opened even slightly. If you have a microwave that doesn't shut off if the door is opened even slightly, it is very dangerous and should not be used until it is repaired.

The second safety feature is the use of special door seals to prevent microwave energy from escaping. Just as a refrigerator has door seals to keep the cold air in, the microwave oven has seals around the door's perimeter to prevent microwave leakage. If any gaps occur in the seals, they should be replaced by a qualified repair shop. At any rate, I would recommend standing at least six feet away from any operating microwave oven.

How do I know this? Several years ago I used to repair the things. This information came from the manufacturer's service manuals.

Getting back to cell phones, I use them and I find them very handy, especially since the phone company has seen fit to remove pay phones, that I used to use. I use them rarely and for only a few minutes at a time.

One risk with cell phone usage that I have seen little mention of is the increased risk of cataracts. One's eye is only a few inches from the cell phone antenna and there is no intervening skull to absorb some of the energy.

My feeling is that the possible health damage caused by cell phone usage is accumulative and corresponds to the length of time of exposure. The danger is not from "cooking" your brain, but from the electrical effects on the molecules in your brain. After all, the brain works by sending and receiving electrical signals, and microwave energy is a "strange" form of electrical energy to the brain.

Using an earphone so as to keep the transmitting antenna away from your head is a valid way to avoid problems, and is recommended to anyone who has to use a cell phone for long periods of time. The earphone will not carry any significant RF energy to yor head, and the important thing is to keep the antenna away from your body.

As for popping corn with a cell phone. I say that is a bunch of nonsense. If it is possible (and I doubt it), you would have to transmit an RF microwave signal into the popcorn grain for hours in order to generate enough heat to pop one kernel. I seriously doubt it could even be done.