Harmful mobile

2000/05/14 Carton Virto, Eider - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Biologia
• Osasuna
• Ingurumena

Almost anyone carries in his pocket, in the bag or exposed the mobile phone, and many have him stuck in the ear throughout the day, as it would be a natural extension of the ear. In a short time they have gone from being individuals to being plagues and have aroused numerous social controversies related to use and health. Where, when and how to use the mobile phone depends on the respect of each other, but this is not our debate. Today we want to clarify whether mobile phones that are epidemics are dangerous to health or not.

No response

However, one cannot clarify what researchers still do not know. Because at this moment when you are reading these lines you cannot say either. That is, it is still to prove that mobile phones harm health, but it cannot be said that they do not harm it. No evidence has been found that mobile phones cause and aggravate diseases such as cancer, or that mobile waves "cook" the brain.

We cannot deny that television, radio, computers, radars, microwaves and many other instruments used in industry, telecommunication and medicine have not made our lives easier. For example, flying with radars is much safer. However, some scientific reports have suggested that electromagnetic fields created by these devices can cause cancer, increase fertility and memory losses, and disrupt children's growth. Society has responded with concern to the reports.

However, it has not been proven in these reports, and while it is known that electromagnetic fields have biological effects, the level of radiation we receive at home or on the street may be too low to notice. However, it is necessary to verify all of them, so the World Health Organization launched in 1996 an ambitious project that will analyze the effects of electromagnetic fields on health and the environment. 40 countries participate in the International Electromagnetic Field Project and research will conclude in 2005. So far, therefore, we cannot know if mobile phones are harmful to health.

Spaces everywhere

Wavelength and frequency (being inversely proportional) are the main magnitudes that define electromagnetic fields. These are very important magnitudes, since areas of different frequency affect differently the body.

The electromagnetic field consists of very regular waves that move at the speed of light. Frequency is the number of oscillations per second. The wavelength would be the distance between one wave and the next. If the body were a beach and the electromagnetic waves were waves reaching the beach, the number of waves arriving per second would be the frequency of the field and the wave distance between one wave and the next. The waves that reach the beach are many or few, it is not the same, since the coast does not adapt the same. These two magnitudes are related to the energy of the zone, since at the high frequency corresponds a high energy and at the low a lower energy. Depending on the energy you have, it will affect the body in one way or another.

The frequency of electromagnetic fields that humans receive from the environment is not always the same. From the electrical network and electrical appliances we collect a very low frequency area, something greater than the screens and security systems of computers and a more frequent area of radio, television, microwave, radar and mobile phones. We have about eleven sources of electromagnetic fields, but that doesn't mean everyone is harmful. Depending on the distance, the electromagnetic fields lose strength very quickly and distance a few centimeters from the source is sufficient to significantly reduce the radiation received. At 30 centimeters, for example, radiation is 100 times weaker.

Heating the head

As already indicated, mobile phones emit an area of great energy and we also have them very close to the body. Therefore, they could be more dangerous than other sources. In this case there are two sources of radiation: the telephone and the terrestrial antenna and the stations. The antennas are usually placed on the rooftops or in the tower of the buildings, at a height of between 15 and 50 meters. These antennas emit waves that move parallel to the earth, but on the terrestrial surface and in areas accessible to the public, the level of radiation is below the level of risk.

The radiation emitted by the antennas also depends on the number of calls being made and their distance. However, it is considered dangerous that it is located at a distance equal to or less than one meter at the height of the antenna. The main sources of radiation were the stations that broadcast radio and television waves before mobile phones proliferated, and the phone antennas continue to increase little the radiation we received. Telephone signals are at the same level or below radio and television signals.

However, the mobile phone user receives much higher radiation levels as it has the phone very close to the head and the head absorbs a lot of energy from the small antenna of the phone. Energy absorption heats the head. But not only that, if the antenna is placed against the head, the head also absorbs the waves emitted by the phone antenna. The waves do not reach the station and the station orders the phone to send a stronger signal. Consequently, the head will absorb more energy and heat more. The following localized temperature increase has been detected in all investigations. However, the researchers consider that the temperature change is not disturbing, since the temperature that occurs in the body throughout the day equals normal variations.

As for other effects of mobile phones, nothing is clear. Although it has been suggested that they can cause brain cancer or confuse the functioning of the brain and neurons, there is no scientific evidence that can confirm these hypotheses. Nor can it be said that it can cause memory loss. However, and just in case, it wouldn't be wise.

Avoid half-hour calls from your mobile phone and, if desired, use headphones. In fact, at 30 centimeters from its origin the force of the electromagnetic field is 100 times lower. I will at least take a 25 peseta coin and call from the cabin next time.

Published in the supplement Natura de Gara