Do you keep your cell phone close to you at all times? That might not be a good idea.

By: Chris

Cell phones are incredible inventions, they let people anywhere to communicate with others all over the world. Can anyone remember what we did without them? The evolution of cell phones has been crazy; some of you might remember the “brick” phone from the 80s, Google them online!  This brick shrunk down to half a brick in the 90s, and now in the 21st century, cell phones fit in our pockets. Cellphones have become an extension of our hands! Is there a price to convenience? Recently, questions are being asked about the link between cell phones and cancer. Can this be true?

Understanding how cancer is caused is beyond this article but it involves changes to a cell that causes it to multiply uncontrollably. Most people know about some things that are linked to causing cancer including: tobacco smoking, foreign chemicals, pathogens, and radiation. Well, experts say that it’s the radiation cellphones release that is raising concerns.  Even though cellphones emit what the industry call “small amounts of radiation,” many experts have said that prolonged exposure can theoretically lead to health problems like cancer. Radiation can cause cancer by messing up the genetic material of our DNA. Our body is complex and for the most part it can use proteins which help keep our cells on track as well as scan for and fix mistakes in our genes. Unfortunately, this isn’t perfect and with each cell faced with about 1 million mutations a day, there are plenty of chances for things to go wrong even without something getting involved from outside our bodies (like cell phones). If something does go wrong two things could happen. The cell could die or the cell could become cancerous and begin to divide uncontrollably.

Some groups are reporting the average age for kids to get a cellphone is 8 years old. Recent reports say that over 72% of Canadians have a wireless device. With us holding cell phones up to one of the most important parts of our body—our brain—it is important that we know what it is doing to us. A collaboration of 14 nations (including Canada) called INTERPHONE was formed to explore and address this issue. Their research has shown that talking on cell phones for 1 hour or more can increase the risk of cancer in 10 or more years. Canadians are also spending about 90 hours per year talking on a cellphone yet Health Canada is still saying that talking on cell phones by kids is safe! Whether we are an adult or a youth we should really know the risks NOW, not 10 years from now.

To find out more check out these links:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2008/20/c2581.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25874070/

http://www.theprovince.com/health/index.html

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