Phones have become a part of our daily lives. Try to think about whether you could go just one day without using your phone. You probably can’t and might have even reached for your phone just thinking about abandoning your little friend. They are incredibly powerful tools that help us achieve much more than we ever could previously. We can browse the internet, work from them, order taxis, and stay in contact with friends and family across the world. But are the health risks being forgotten about, and should you use them when in an elevator?
Phones
Phones have enabled us to communicate wirelessly for many years now thanks to their use of radio waves. To make sure they are able to both send and receive communications they need to have a transmitter and antenna fitted to them. Radio waves will be sent to your phone to make sure that any contact is sent promptly and accurately but is there something we should consider when carrying our phones?
Where do you keep yours?
Phones are typically kept close to our bodies. Many people who wear pants with pockets will store their phone in their pocket, or maybe they’ll attach it to their belt. With phones being stored so close to our bodies on a regular basis, is there an increased risk of exposing ourselves to harmful radiation? High levels of radiation exposure can affect humans as it will heat the body, known as thermal effects.
What is the risk
In the early years of the cell phone boom, there wasn’t enough data for anybody to determine the effect of any radiation coming from and being beamed to our phones. Several years later some experts argue that the radiation being absorbed by our bodies has the potential to cause cancer in some people. Although inconclusive, there was a correlation between where tumors were forming on people’s bodies dependent on the side they held their phones. Tumors in the salivary glands in some were determined to develop on the same side as a person holds their phone while talking on it.
Other effects
While some forms of cancer are not yet proven to be caused by the radiation from our phones there are a few other side effects that are known through increased phone usage. People are presumed more likely to suffer from headaches, sleeping disorders leading to fatigue, memory, hearing, or vision impairment. One thing that phones have increased the risk of greatly is the risk of car accidents when using them. They prove to be a distraction that takes our attention off the road. That can be all it takes to miss a truck pulling out, or the motorcyclist we would have otherwise seen but instead crashed into.
So what’s the risk in an elevator?
While you are inside an elevator or something similar like a train, it is thought that the radiation exposure for people actually increases from their phones. It normally occurs when there is a weak reception, and it is advised that you make fewer calls when in such places. If you are in a confined space and your reception is lower, you should wait until you’re in a more open area to begin making a call.
Using a cell phone to make a call is now an ordinary ability we all have, but there are some concerns about the radiation coming from them. There have been no conclusive tests done to prove that they have a significant impact on our health, but they can prove to be a big distraction in our lives. Many people are addicted to looking at their phones, and that can steer them into danger when driving or walking around unaware of their surroundings.
