Disadvantages of Cell Phones (Part 5) - Driving Safety
This article is the fifth part in a series of articles titled ‘7 disadvantages of cell phones’. The first four parts:
Cell Phone Disadvantage #5 - Driving Safety
Much of the information presented in the previous articles is being debated and not acted upon by the industry or by governments; however the increased risk that cell phones pose to driving is clear-cut and widely acknowledged.
A simple Google search will show hundreds of studies on the subject of cell phone use and driving. All the studies I have seen agree that cell phone use while driving increases the risk of an accident. This increased risk is due to the inability to fully focus on driving while, and shortly after, talking on a cell phone.
In a study titled ‘Epidemiological evidence on health risks of cellular telephones’, Dr Rothman states:
…the risk of a collision was about four times greater when the driver was using the telephone or soon after a call. Use of the telephone in “hands-free’ mode was no less risky than holding the telephone to the ear with one hand while talking.[1]
A Canadian study performed by the University of Calgary states:
…conversation on cell phones, both hand-held and handsfree, was found to influence driving performance. Epidemiological findings consistently showed an increase in crashes associated with use of cell phones.[2]
One could argue that talking to a passenger poses the same risk as talking on a cell phone, but this is not the case. A likely explanation is that a passenger takes the traffic situation into account, something impossible for someone on the other side of a cell phone conversation.
Another study titled ‘Fatal distraction? A comparison of the cell-phone driver and the drunk driver’ compared the performance of cell-phone drivers to drivers who were legally intoxicated. This study concludes:
…when controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, cell-phone drivers may actually exhibit greater impairments (i.e., more accidents and less responsive driving behavior) than legally intoxicated drivers. These data also call into question driving regulations that prohibit hand-held cell-phones and permit hands-free cell-phones, because no significant differences were found in the impairments to driving caused by these two modes of cellular communication.[3]
In fact, many governments have banned the use of a cell phone while driving due to its safety risks. An up-to-date list with countries and US states that have banned cell phone use while driving can be found here.
Another interesting development is the changing legal implications for causing an accident when using a cell phone. The following is an excerpt from a online New Jersey newspaper:
A motorist using a hand-held cell phone who causes a fatal accident could be charged with vehicular homicide if one state lawmaker gets her way. …Causing the death of another by driving a motor vehicle “recklessly” is the legal standard for filing a vehicular homicide charge in New Jersey. It is punishable by five to 10 years in prison and/or a $150,000 fine, according to Karrow’s bill.[4]
If the increased risk of an accident is not enough of an incentive to stop you from using a cell phone when driving, or if your employer does not leave you a choice, then consider this: International Paper Co. is a company that agreed to pay $5.2 million to settle a personal injury suit related, at least in part, to one of its employees’ use of a cell phone while driving.[5]
In conclusion, the increased risk that cell phones pose to driving is clear-cut and widely acknowledged.
You owe it to yourself, your family, your passengers and your fellow road users to be a safe driver. Being a safe driver means not using a cell phone while driving.
Coming soon: Cell Phone Disadvantage #6 - Increased Stress Level
Click here to subscribe and get automatic updates when a new article is posted on this website.
Do you like this article? Please click here to visit 5 Ways to Support Your Favorite Websites.
| References |
-
^ Rothman, Kenneth J. “Epidemiological Evidence on Health Risks of Cellular Telephones.” The Lancet 356 (2000):1837-1840.
-
-
-
-
|
Technorati Tags: cell phone, cellphone, driving safety
Post from: ControlYourImpact.com
ShareThis
Disadvantages of Cell Phones (Part 4) - The Effect on Children
This article is the fourth part in a series of articles titled ‘7 disadvantages of cell phones’. The first three parts:
In case you have not read the first part Unsafe Safety Standard:
Cell phones transmit and receive Radio Frequency (RF) signals in order to communicate. The RF signals from [cell] phones fall within the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This radiation is also referred to as microwave radiation or electromagnetic radiation.
In short: Cell phones use microwave radiation to communicate.
Cell phone radiation will also be referred to as microwave radiation, Radio Frequency radiation, RF Radiation, and electro magnetic radiation.
Cell Phone Disadvantage #4 - The Effect on Children
The health effects of cell phone radiation on children is very worrisome. All government reports and many scientific studies that are referred to in this article emphasize that children are more vulnerable than adults. In ‘How Exposure to Mobile Phone Base-Station Signals Can Adversely Affect Humans’, Dr Hyland explains why children are more vulnerable:
Preadolescent children are more vulnerable [to microwave radiation] because of their thinner skulls, their still developing nervous systems, their increased levels of cell division, and their less robust immune systems.[1]
Children that grow up in our new cell phone world are exposed to microwave radiation from the moment they are in the womb. However, the effects of microwave radiation on infants is unknown to most parents. The Stewart Report is a report commissioned by the British Parliament in response to fears that cell phone use could be linked to memory loss, and even Alzheimer’s Disease. It explains the effect of cell phone radiation on children:
A one year old could absorb around double [the radio frequency (RF) radiation], and a five year old around 60%, more than an adult. Additionally, since children are being exposed to RF radiation from base stations (and from [cell] phones) from a younger age than adults, they will have a longer time in which to accumulate exposure over the course of their lives, and a longer time for any delayed effects of exposure to develop.[2]
Anybody who gets a signal on their cell phone in their home, is in the vicinity of a cell phone base tower. How close are you to the base station? The answer to this question will likely impact your family’s health, especially if you live within 400 meters of a base station.
A German study published in 2004 titled ‘The Influence of Being Physically Near to a Cell Phone Transmission Mast on the Incidence of Cancer’, showed a 3 times higher risk of developing cancer for people who lived within 400 meters of a cell phone tower for a period of five years.[3] A similar Spanish study found that people living in the close vicinity of a cell phone tower had the following health problems [4]:
- Depression increased by up to 64-fold.
- Fatigue increased by up to 37-fold.
- Appetite Loss increased by up to 25-fold.
Those health effects apply to adults, children can be expected to have even more severe health issues due to the increased absorption of the same radiation levels.
The health impact of RF radiation needs more research. In my opinion, one of the reasons that this is not happing is the enormous economical value that is associated with cell communication industry and the connectivity it provides. However, both brain cancer and leukemia have been associated with microwave radiation [4][5][6]. Keeping this and the explosive growth of cell phones in mind, one wonders what the connection is between RF radiation and these cancers. According to the US Natural Resources Defence Council:
[Leukemia] is the most common cancer in children, responsible for more deaths than any other form of childhood cancer. From 1977 to 1995, U.S. rates of childhood leukemia rose about 1 percent each year. [20% increase over a 18 year period]
…Cancers of the central nervous system are the second most common form of cancer in children. These cancers, which may involve the brain or the spinal cord, are most common in children under seven. Childhood brain cancers have been increasing: from 1973 to 1994, the number of reported brain cancers in children under 15 increased 1.8 percent each year [45% increase over a 21 year period]. [7]
The association between cell phones and childhood cancer is considered extreme by some. However, a recent study mention in Cell Phone Disadvantage #2 - Negative Health Effects has linked mouth cancer in adults to cell phone [8], other recent studies make the link between cell phone use and male infertility (see Cell Phone Disadvantage #3 - Cause of Infertility in Man). When you consider the children’s increased absorption of RF radiation, the childhood cancer link seems a realistic option.
This video talks about the link between cell phone use and brain cancer, with a focus on children:
Under ‘Cell Phone Disadvantage #2 - Negative Health Effects’, there was mention of the ‘abundance of dead brain cells’ that the researchers found 50 days after 2 hours of exposure to cell phone microwave radiation. In a 2003 paper, the researchers emphasized their concern about the impact of microwave radiation on children and teenagers:
The situation of the growing brain might deserve special concern …The intense use of [cell] phones by youngsters is a serious consideration. A neuronal damage of the kind described here [dead brain cells after 50 days] may not have immediately demonstrable consequences, even if repeated. In the long run, however, it may result in reduced brain reserve capacity that might be unveiled by other neuronal disease or even the wear and tear of aging.[9]
Potential brain damage as a result of cell phone use was one of the big motivators for the Stewart report. It encourages the precautionary approach, especially when it comes to children:
In line with our precautionary approach, we believe that the widespread use of [cell] phones by children for non-essential calls should be discouraged. We also recommend that the [cell] phone industry should refrain from promoting the use of [cell] phones by children.[2]
RF radiation is a proven health risk, especially children should have minimal exposure. The final article in this series will discuss preventative measures in detail, but the obvious steps that a parent can take to minimize their children’s exposure to RF radiation are:
- Do not allow your children to use a cell phone, unless there is an emergency
- Limit the use of cell phones around children to a minimum
- Ensure there is no cell phone mast in the vicinity of your home and your child’s school
- Send this article and similar information to adults that spend time with your children, especially teachers and other parents
In conclusion, the radiation caused by cell phones and cell phone masts has a negative effect on the health of children. Most studies have only looked into the (relatively) short term effects. The long term effects of continuous exposure to microwave radiation, starting from the earliest beginning (see Cell Phone Disadvantage #3 - Cause of Infertility in Man) are unknown.
Not too long ago it was normal for adults to smoke around children. Today, many consider smoking around around children highly irresponsible. The same mentality and caution should be used when it comes to the use of cell phones by children and around children.
Next: Cell Phone Disadvantage #5 - Cell Phones and Driving
Click here to subscribe and get automatic updates when a new article is posted on this website.
Do you like this article? Please click here to visit 5 Ways to Support Your Favorite Websites.
| References |
-
-
-
^ Eger, Horst, Klaus Uwe Hagen, Birgitt Lucas, Peter Vogel, and Helmut Voit. “The Influence of Being Physically Near to a Cell Phone Transmission Mast on the Incidence of Cancer.” Umwelt·Medizin·Gesellschaft 17 (2004): 1-7. < http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20041118_naila.pdf>.
-
-
-
^ Michelozzi, Paola, Alessandra Capon, Ursula Kirchmayer, Francesco Forastiere, Annibale Biggeri, Alessandra Barca, and Carlo A. Perucci. “Adult and Childhood Leukemia Near a High-Power Radio Station in Rome, Italy.” American Journal of Epidemiology 155 (2002): 1096-1103.< http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/155/12/1096>.
-
-
^ Sadetzk, Siegal, Angela Chetrit, Avital Jarus-Hakak, Elisabeth Cardis, Yonit Deutch, Shay Duvdevani, Ahuva Zultan, Ilya Novikov, Laurence Freedman, and Michael Wolf. “Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Benign and Malignant Parotid Gland Tumors - a Nationwide Case-Control Study.” American Journal of Epidemiology 167 (2008): 457-467.
See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/18/nphones118.xml.
-
^ Salford, Leif G., Arne E. Brun, Jacob L. Eberhardt, Lars Malmgren, and Bertil R. Persson. “Nerve Cell Damage in Mammalian Brain After Exposure to Microwaves From GSM Mobile Phones.” Environmental Health Perspectives 111 (2003): 881-883. < http://www.ehponline.org/members/2003/6039/6039.html>.
|
Technorati Tags: cell phone, cellphone, male infertility, infertility, cell phone radiation, cell phone related health problems,
