The Unknown Dangers of Cell Phones :: Health Communication Papers

The Unknown Dangers of Cell Phones When I was sixteen years old, I wanted a cell phone more than anything. Not only did all my friends have them, but my parents did not allow me to talk to my boyfriend Jimmy. So I thought having a cell phone would be the instant solution to all my problems. Not only would I be able to talk to Jimmy whenever I wanted but having a cell phone would give me so much more independence. Not to mention the fact that they were extremely glamorous and simply the thing to have. Unfortunately, you have to be eighteen to set up a plan with any cell phone company, and my parents wouldn't even consider the idea, so all my begging and hoping came to nothing. The situation originally infuriated me, but after researching the risk of cell phones, I have begun to think that not getting a cell phone was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Sixty years ago, sixteen year olds and adults alike were unaware of the dangers of smoking. People were caught up in the glamour that was projected in cigarette commercials. Millions of people took up smoking without having any idea of the risks they were running. It wasn’t until 1948 that Ernst Wynder published the first study linking lung cancer to cigarettes ( Wynder). Even though the connection between cigarettes and cancer has been proven again and again, forty-eight million Americans still smoke ( Cancer.gov ). A similar situation is taking place with cell phones. Though people have been using cell phones for many years, only recently has there been concern about the possibility of a connection in the rising number of cell phone users and the increasing incidences of brain cancer. Cell phones have been gaining popularity throughout the nineties. There are now over ten million cell phone users in America alone, and it is estimated that in 2005 there will be over 1.26 billion cell phone users worldwide ( Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association ). Many chemicals in our environment have long been known as cancer causing agents. These chemicals include radiation , asbestos, BPDE, and tamoxifen.(Cancer.gov). But none of these chemicals were recognized as carcinogens until several people contracted cancer of some type by being exposed to them. Cell phones have been proven to admit a certain type of radiation about which the effects are unknown.