Effect of cell phone on the human body - Research Paper Example

Their curiosity and concern has instigated a series of researches that tend to investigate the effect of use of cell phone on the human body. Debra Davis, an epidemiologist, in her research has shown her concern regarding role of cell phones in spreading cancer. She states that at times even low energy radiations of laboratory research are enough to cause cancer. A bioengineering department professor in University of Washington, Henry Lai, in his studies of laboratory research radiation, found that in research of over 400 papers, 27% of the cases show that on exposure to electromagnetic waves of laboratory radiations, the DNA in brain of rats was damaged.

In one of the studies listed by Lai, loss of memory occurred when rats were exposed to radiation with (Specific Absorption rate) SAR in the low range of 0.0006 to 0.06 watts per kg (Stross). The effect of electromagnetic radiations emitted by cell phones cannot be denied, however, this effect being positive or negative is a research area that still needs to be explored. EM Radiation causes brain activity A lot of researches have realized changes in the brain activity as a result of use of cell phone, though many researchers are of the view that more research needs to go into determining the potential ways in which these changes are detrimental for human mind and body.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the effect of cell phone radiation was determined inside the brains of 47 healthy subjects. PET scans to measure any brain activity were performed after placing the cell phones on both their ears. The glucose metabolism in the brain was measured twice. The study found that the electromagnetic energy from cell phones exerted an influence in cell located near the phone which depended upon the location of antenna, its operating frequency and duration of use.

The brain activity was triggered the most in areas close to where the antenna was place, not where the phone was in contact with the subject. The effect of energy was seen even when the phone was muted. This was to ensure that sound interpretation was not causing the brain activity. Volkow found a 7 per cent increase in the metabolism of glucose in the region of brain that was nearest to the antenna in people that held the cell phone on either side of the brain for 50 minutes. As a result of this research study, Volkow concluded that cell phones generate electromagnetic radiation to which, the human brain is sensitive.

The study however, did not suggest that these radiation cause brain cancer. The studied effect, whether good or bad, is an area for future research. The director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow said, “[w]e don’t know that this is harmful [but we know that] glucose metabolism is a direct indicator of brain activity” (Volkow cited in Doheny 1). Nora Volkow and her colleagues found that sugar is consumed by cells in the brain for energy.

Henry Lai and Lenart Hardell, a Swedish oncologist showed concern regarding this study as to if the brain activity observed in the study could be the result of shift in brain chemical levels (e.g. the neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine). These chemicals play a critical role in human body other than the brain and could pose health problems in areas away from the brain. They also expressed their concern that