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Cell Phones Cause Cancer

I am a Cell Phone..............................

I am a cell phone. I was born in China, and as soon as I was born, I was packed into a cardboard box with my two friends - the refreshing, and quiet charger (a real fatso), and that constantly singing loud box earphones (and yes, I am envious of her lean figure). After a long journey, I reached a cupboard in an electronics shop. After a few days, a man came and scooped me out of the cupboard, opened the box, and after passing a few more hands and judgmental pairs of eyes, I was bought by a woman.

 She adored my sleek looks and my touch interface. I am her companion day in and day out. I get respite only at night, when my friend the charger feeds me energy. I wake my user up in the morning, and after that starts the daylong journey when she uses my calculator, my games, radio, camera (photo editor is her favourite), calendar,  clock, the music player ( the earphones get excited then) and all other inbuilt features that I offer her. 

I have been safe in all the places except once, when my screen-guard cracked. User took me a repairman and he mended me. Her friend's phone, Nokia, who was in the repair shop for long, told me that they tried to steal some of her vital processor parts. I am a very lucky phone I believe!

But sometimes I feel that I am a cheat. I emit radiation which can cause development of bodily complications later on. Though I have made people who are far away seem just a call away, I have ruined the social life of people. Though I am very helpful in emergencies and dangers, I also allow tracking of people. I have been the culprit in so many evils, and yet I am loved by those who own me and envied by those who don't.

I wonder about myself at times, am I a boon or a bane?

 Do's and Don't s While Using a Cell Phone

                       


Don't s

1. Don't replace your Landlines. 
Try taking most of your calls using the "old-fashioned" way of a phone plugged into the wall. If you like pacing as you talk, get a longer cord. At least make a large effort to take calls that you know will last a long time on a corded phone for your day-to-day communications.



2. Don't keep close to the phone when dialling to connect.                                                    Phones use more radiation during connection time, so just watch the screen and then move the phone to listen once you're sure the connection has occurred.




3. Don't  "walk and talk",  i.e. move around when using a cell phone.                                  If you keep moving around with it, more radiation is emitted because the phone needs to keep track of you. This covers walking and being inside a vehicle; as you move, the phone continues to scan to keep up with the changes in position.





4. Don't give cell phones to children (or limit their usage to emergencies )          .              Their cells divide at a much faster rate, which means that the impact of radiation can be a lot worse.Those under 15 should not use a mobile phone at all because they are still growing. The radiation is more damaging, especially to the brain, weakening the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), and to the reproductive organs/ovaries, etc. 





5. Don't carry your phone directly on your body                                                                 Even on stand-by, don't carry it directly on your body. Do not carry the cell phone next to your body; instead, keep it in a bag. This is especially important if you have become used to wearing it in a pocket next to your groin; research has shown that men wearing cell phones next to their groin have up to a 30 percent reduction in sperm count. Keep it away from all vital organs (heart, liver, etc.).

                      



6.  Do not use cell phones in a confined space                                                                    Don't use cell phones in spaces such as an elevator, basement, underground station, caravan, etc. In these situations the strength of the signal both sending and receiving is much greater thus the radiation is much more intense.






7. Do not use the phone while in any vehicle                                                                         Even when stationary, don't use a phone in a vehicle. An enclosed metal container produces the "Faraday cage" effect, which maximizes the damaging impact of radiation, reflecting not only on the person phoning but also on other passengers, especially children. Thus it is essential to step out of the vehicle before making a call. 





8. Don't keep a mobile phone beside the bed at night switched on                                                  Even when on stand-by, a phone is in contact with the nearest phone mast and emits radiation at regular intervals. 








Do's


1.  Do limit the length of your calls on your cell phone.                                                Prolonged extended use of cell phones increases your exposure to the radiated signals from your device; even a two minute call has been shown to alter your brain's natural electrical activity for up to an hour afterwards. Even in an emergency, limit the calls to 6 minutes at most.  

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2. 2. Do use the speaker facility in the phone.                                                                      The best approach to using a cell phone to create distance between you and the radiating phone. When speaking, place the phone on speaker phone. The speaker phone option is a good one because it allows you to hold the phone away from you as you speak.
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4. 3. Use texting more often than talking                                                                                This is to keep the cell phone away from the head. However, even texting should be kept to a minimum. And keep the cell phone away from your body while emailing or texting. 
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6. 4. Do turn the cell phone off when not in use.                                                                             A cell phone that is in standby mode is still emitting radiation. When it is off, this ceases.
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8. 5. Check your phone SAR rating when buying it.                                                            A mobile phone with the lowest possible SAR rating (= Specific Absorption Rate of microwave radiation by human body tissues). The regulation limit is 1.1W/kg for eye-sockets and cheeks.  The fashion factor matters less than the health factor. 
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10.  6. Avoid use of phone if you have a metallic object anywhere in your body      Use of a mobile phone should be avoided by who has any metallic object in or on their head, whether magnetic or not, such as amalgam fillings and dental bridges, metal plates, screws, clips, body ornaments, earrings or metal framed glasses. The same is true for those with walking frames, wheelchairs or metal crutches, so as to avoid increasing radiation by the phenomena of reflection, amplification, resonance, passive re-emission, etc... . 
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12. 7. Make use of protective items to shield yourself from radiation,                          Use a metal phone carrying case, protective anti-radiation fabric and veils, metallic foil wallpaper, anti-radiation paint, etc, all which have been proved to be effective. .
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1. Sources: 
2. http://www.next-up.org/pdf/12BasicPrecautionsToMinimiseExposureToRadiationWhenUsingMobilePhone2009.pdf
3. http://www.wikihow.com/Protect-Yourself-when-Using-a-Cell-Phone#_note-8
4. Google Images
5. Shutterstock
6. http://www.greeniacs.com/GreeniacsArticles/Consumer-Products/Cell-Phones-and-the-Environment.html
7. http://www.techi.com/2011/01/the-environmental-impact-of-cell-phones/

1. www.bing.com
2. http://cellphones.lovetoknow.com/Dangers_of_Cell_Phone_Towers
3. http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/the-environmental-costs-and-benefits-of-our-cell-phones.html
4. http://www.livestrong.com/article/218855-effects-of-cell-phones-as-an-environmental-hazard/
5. http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/smartphone/
6. http://www.cagle.com/news/CellPhoneCancer/page/3/
7. http://creative.sulekha.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cell-phone_295902_blog
8. www.worldbank.org