Editor性视界传媒檚 note: This column was first published in May 2021.
QUESTION: Can you tell me what the reasons are that we性视界传媒檙e cautioned not to sleep with a cellphone near our head?
ANSWER: I found at least one ABC News report of a phone malfunction 性视界传媒 possibly because of repairs that were made without factory parts 性视界传媒 that caused a phone to overheat and scorch the pillow the phone was under. So there性视界传媒檚 that.
Also, just having the phone buzzing or emitting alerts and lighting up at night can disrupt your sleep, and most of us aren性视界传媒檛 sleeping enough to start with. I found reports that talked about how having the phone in bed with us tempts us to keep checking the phone, so our brains don性视界传媒檛 shut down enough to go to sleep or sleep well.
Finally, concerns have been raised about how exposure to cellphones might affect the probability of developing cancer, specifically brain and neck tumors. It seems studies conducted on this issue aren性视界传媒檛 perfect to start with, partly because mobile phones haven性视界传媒檛 been around long enough for good human studies to have been conducted, but also because there are questions about how children might be affected considering that children are using phones at an earlier age. So the concern is if your phone is next to you in bed, are you getting extra exposure that could contribute to the development of cancer?
Here性视界传媒檚 what the FDA website says on the issue of possible cancer development from mobile phone exposure:
性视界传媒淭o date, there is no consistent or credible scientific evidence of health problems caused by the exposure to radio frequency energy emitted by cellphones.....
性视界传媒淭he FDA性视界传媒檚 doctors, scientists and engineers continually monitor the scientific studies and public health data for evidence that radio frequency energy from cellphones could cause adverse health effects. If a credible risk is detected, the FDA will work closely with other federal partners to mitigate the risk.
性视界传媒淭he gold standard for the assessment of risk to public health remains the data and information that are available from studying effects on humans. The currently available epidemiological studies, public health surveillance data and supportive laboratory studies on cellphone radiation provide abundant evidence to support the FDA性视界传媒檚 determination.性视界传媒
The American Cancer Society性视界传媒檚 website explained that cellphones use RF waves, a form of energy that性视界传媒檚 between FM radio waves and microwaves, in the 性视界传媒渆lectromagnetic spectrum.性视界传媒
性视界传媒淟ike FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and heat, RF waves are a form of non-ionizing radiation. They don性视界传媒檛 have enough energy to cause cancer by directly damaging the DNA (genes) inside cells. ...性视界传媒 the website says.
It性视界传媒檚 unclear, the cancer society says, how cellphones might cause cancer, but some studies still 性视界传媒渉ave found possible increased rates of certain types of tumors in lab animals exposed to RF radiation, but overall, the results of these types of studies have not provided clear answers so far.性视界传媒
Studies on humans also have had limitations that have produced varied results, the Cancer Society reported.
性视界传媒淚n summary, studies of people published so far have not established a clear link between cellphone use and the development of tumors. However, these studies have had some important limitations that make them unlikely to end the controversy about whether cellphone use affects cancer risk,性视界传媒 the Cancer Society says.
The society suggests that people who are concerned should take steps to limit their exposure to RF waves emitted by mobile phones: use the speaker phone, hands free devices 性视界传媒 Answer Line性视界传媒檚 preferred method for talking on a mobile phone 性视界传媒 or video calls; text instead of talking 性视界传媒 just not in the car 性视界传媒 and limit mobile phone use for you and your children.
I性视界传媒檒l also note the FDA says there性视界传媒檚 性视界传媒渧ery little research showing that the RF waves used in 5G networks are any more (or less) of a concern than the other RF wavelengths used in cellular communication.性视界传媒
