Analyze the Pros and Cons of the use of CHIP - Research Paper Example

The chip is approximately 2 mm in size and it consists of essential information in the form of codes which can be decoded through special devices (Foster 2007). The chip truly represents a form of invention which can prove to be beneficial for the medical field but many objections have been raised with regard to the usage of these chips. The chip is known to have many benefits but there are many disadvantages of this technology as well. The utilization of computerized chips for humans was approved in the United States in the year 2004 by the Food and Drug Administration.

The only chip which is allowed to be used in the country is the VeriChip manufactured by the Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla. The chip is introduced in the human body mainly in the arm through a technique which is accomplished in merely 20 minutes and is not very invasive. The chip can be detected at a range of 30 feet. A few health insurance companies have started the provision of these chips for patients who have serious illnesses. Though this technology has been new to the field of human medicine, it has been a part of the veterinary practice and it has been implanted in animals for over the past 2 decades.

These chips were inserted in animals and it has been analyzed that one million animals in the United States have these chips inserted (Ahuja 2006; Associated Press 2004). The chips can prove to have many advantages to the field of medicine. It has been highlighted that chips will reduce the burden of the paper work that is required for keeping medical records. The insertion of the chips will keep the data of the patients stored for extended periods which may be retrieved whenever needed. Information that the patient may tend to forget may also be revealed through these chips.

The maximum benefit of these chips may be for people who enter the hospitals in unconscious states and are not able to reveal essential medical information. This may be retrieved directly through the medical chips and they can be treated according to their physical health. This would lead to avoid major complications which may result otherwise. It can also be very helpful for patients with illness like Alzheimer’s disease (Associated Press 2007; Foster 2007). The chips have been advocated for by many medical experts but many negative issues with regard to these chips have been revealed.

It has been highlighted that the usage of chips has been connected to the causation of cancer. This has been revealed in a few animal studies. This raised questions with regard to the chips and it was seen that these chips might bring more harm to people than benefits. But this point was argued against by a few experts who believed that this risk was higher in animals but humans were not at risk (Feder 2007). Other disadvantages of the chips have also been highlighted. This includes the fact that the chips can serve to be intruders of the privacy of the individuals and there have been questions that these chips may tend to reveal personal information of individuals and hence deviate from their true purpose.

The chips are also expensive and range to an amount of 150 to 200 dollars which may not be affordable for every person. Another disadvantage is that the codes on the chips may be decoded by hackers who may disrupt the personal information and medical information stored on the chips. They may gain access to personal informat