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Faith Hamphill

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

9/29/17

Topic Proposal: Dial it Down

Introduction/Overview

I will be researching the potential physical, mental, and emotional effects that cell phones

can have on human beings. The first mobile cell phone was invented on April 3rd, 1973 and in

almost 45 years they have grown from being an uncommon luxury to an absolute necessity for

all. Although this is a sure sign of technological growth throughout the world, cell phones are

also proving to be a cause for certain health issues experienced by their users. Studies have

shown that individuals that use their cell phones a lot experience neck pains from holding their

head down while texting. It has also been found that people that use their device profusely are

less happy, with high stress and anxiety levels. I found this information in an article titled How

Is Your Cell Phone Effecting You? Also, Zahid Naeem wrote in his 2014 article Risks Arising

from Cell Phone Use that cell phone use can result in changes in brain activity, reaction times,

and sleep patterns. There is also a debate on if cell phones cause brain cancer or not. The studies

all started when researchers began speculating that radio waves might cause cancer. But, Otis

Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer society says that that was just speculation

and that there are no definite answers. People began asking more questions about the safety of

cell phones and its relation to cancer when a business man filed a lawsuit alleging that cell

phones caused his wifes death due to brain cancer On the other hand there are different

organizations that dont necessarily agree and believe that cell phones are harmless. The National
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Institute of Environmental Health Sciences states that current evidence ha in fact, not linked cell

phone use with health problems but they do believe that more research need to be done. Many

believe that research that has been done just isnt enough to say for sure. While completing this

project I will be thoroughly researching this topic.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Initial inquiry questions are the following: How does radiation from cell phones effect the

human brain? Are there any health issues caused by cell phone use? What are the physical and

mental differences between someone who uses a cell phone and someone who doesnt? I believe

these can be narrowed down to one question. What effect do cell phones have on the physical,

mental, and emotional state of human beings?

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in this topic because it is very relevant to my lifestyle as well as millions

of other Americans. I have a cell phone and I tend to use it frequently throughout the day so my

findings can open my eyes to health issues that I could potentially experience. I also chose this

topic because it is very relevant in this day and age due to the amount of people that use cell

phones as frequently as or more frequently than I do. I am aware that cell phones are extremely

popular and that the radiation from them can be dangerous for humans to be around but I dont

really know why. My goal is to learn how and why cell phones can be dangerous.

Next Steps
I have a significant amount of valid resources to help me complete my research including

the internet and library where I can find many, books, articles, and videos related to my topic.

My next steps in completing this project include more research, particularly in articles that I have

already found. A study on some psychological health effects of cell phone usage amoungst
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college going students. by Indranil Archarya. The impact of smartphones and mobile devices

on human health and life. by L. Miakotko. The effect of cell phones on human health. By Abu

Isbeih. And effects of electromagnetic radiation of mobile phones on the Central Nervous

System. All found on the Atkins library website.

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Annotated Bibliography

What negative effects can cell phones have on human health?

Faith Hamphill

Malcom Campbell

UWRT 1104

10/16/2017
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Agarwal, Ashok. Cell phones and male infertility: dissecting the relationship. Reproductive Biomedicine

Online, 25 June 2007 http://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(10)60338-0/pdf, vol 15.

no. 3 2007 International Braz, 2005. 266-270.

This article is about questions that have been raised about whether cell phones reduce mens

fertility potential. In the article, the author explains how radio frequency can enter into and

have an effect on the human body. The amount of exposure of radio frequency depends on the

frequency of the cell phone used. Most phones in the U.S. work at 900-1900 MHz as opposed to

850-1800 MHz in other countries and higher frequencies mean more energy. Radiant energy can

be absorbed into human bodies in three ways. Aerial effect, coupling of RF, and with signal tissue

and resonant absorption. Studies have proven that men that use cell phones more frequently

have negative effects on sperm motility, viability, and morphology which contribute to male

infertility. Radio frequency has also caused difficulty in concentration, fatigue, headache, and

increased blood pressure. The conclusion of this article is that cell phones can damage a males

fertility. This article was written by Dr. Agarwal who is a very reliable doctor being that he is a

Professor in the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He is also the

director of a Reproductive Research Center and the Clinical Andrology Laboratory at the

Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Also, one of the focusses of his research is male and female

reproduction. The purpose of the article is to inform males of the impact that cell phones can

have on their infertility. I think this article is very reliable. It presents a claim that the uses of cell

phones can negatively affect male fertility rates as well evidence to prove that claim. This article

was written in 2007 so it is a little out of date but the information is factual information that was

discovered by a highly qualified doctor. It is also important that the article was written by a
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doctor that works at College of Medicine. His job revolves around issues such as this one, so he

is very reliable. I found the article to be very helpful. I was able to learn about a health risk of cell

phones that I had not yet been introduced to. Many articles talk about the risk of cancer or

headaches from using cell phones but never male infertility. The article expanded my possible

research opportunities greatly. Another thing that I loved about this article is that instead of

telling me that radiation can be absorbed into the human body, it explained exactly how that can

happen. That was information that none of the other articles contained. Also, it gave me an

additional piece of evidence to support my claim. This article helped me to strengthen my

argument that cell phones can be harmful to human health by contributing to my list of health

issues that have been recognized as a result of cell phone use.

Better Health Channel. Mobile Phones and your Health.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/mobile-phones-and-your-health?

viewAsPdf=true. This website states that because cell phone use has become so popular, many

medical researchers are afraid that and associated risks could cause major public health

problems. There are two main ways that researchers believe cell phones can effect a persons

health. One of those ways involves the radio frequency in cell phones, which, if high enough,

could have a thermal effect and raise a persons body temperature. The second way is the

possibility of radiation causing headaches, or even worse, brain tumors. The website claims that

there has been no conclusive evidence that cell phones are harmful but the World Health

Organization has classified them as possibly carcinogenic. Radiation is a mix of electrical and

magnetic energy that travels through space. It is also knows as electromagnetic radiation or

EMR. Radiation is split into two groups. Ionizing radiation which can cause changes in atoms and

molecules in the body and can result in tissue damage such as cancer. Non Ionizing Radiation

doesnt cause these changes but can causer molecules to vibrate and lead to rise in
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temperature. This website is very trustworthy being that it is centered around healthy living and

discusses any and everything that can damage a persons health. This section was just one of

many that inform its audience of ways to live a healthier life. It is one that is reliable and many

people go to this website for answers. This website is managed by the Department of Health and

Human Services which is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government. The

purpose of this department and website is to protect the health of all Americans and provide

essential human services. This website was extremely useful because it provided information

that no other resources provided. In depth details of how cell phones work and descriptions and

effects of the radiation that is emitted from cell phones. It helped me to understand the science

of cell phones and the aspects of cell phones that can be harmful. It did talk about health issues

that I have researched in other sources but as far as being able to understand radiation and why

it causes certain health effects, this website was very effective.

Gersdorff, Sascha. Health Risks of Mobile Devices Womens Health Magazine.

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/cell-phone-radiation . There is a growing

debate about whether cell phones are harmful to human health. While the National Cancer

Institute says they are safe, many independent researchers have found otherwise. Cell phones

have the potential to damage our immune systems, and alter our cellular make-up. Also,

environmental consultant, Cindy Sage says radio frequency waves can transfer energy waves into

our bodies and disrupts our bodys functions. In 2010 there was an interphone study that proved

that your risk of developing glioma, a brain tumor, increases 40 percent. Cell phones

continuously send radio frequency signals that have the ability to harm your body. The best

solution for this would be to keep your phone powered off as much as possible. This source is a

popular source that can be viewed by many people. This article, unlike the others, wasnt written

by a doctor, it was written by an executive editor of cosmopolitan. This could have an effect on
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how reliable the text is. Also, this article was found in a popular source, a magazine written for

women which may not be as accurate as an article written by a research doctor. Also from this,

the article was extremely helpful in discussing ways that cell phones can be harmful as well as

ways to prevent the harm from happening. Because it provided ways to solve the problem this

article was a bit more effective than the others. Also, the author included in this article, quotes

from research doctors and other people that are very experienced. The other articles stated that

there was a problem, cell phones can be harmful to the human body but none of the others

really included a solution to this problem, something that is extremely helpful. After reading the

article I didnt have any questions. I knew what the problem was. I knew why there was a

problem. And I knew how to solve that problem.

Patil, Santosh R. Mobile Phone Head and Neck Pain Syndrome: Proposal of a New Entity. OHDM

October 2015. Vo. 14, no. 5 https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/mobile-phone-head-and-

neck-pain-syndrome-proposal-of-a-new-entity-2247-2452-1000833.pdf. This article is about a

study that was done at a university in Saudi Arabia and a proposal of a new syndrome. There was

a study done at AlJouf University to assess the effects of mobile phone usage among the

students at the university. During this study, 369 students were given questionnaires that

included mental and physical symptoms related to the use of mobile phones. The most common

complaint was cervical. Other symptoms that were common included headache, irritability, lack

of concentration, straining of the eyes, insomnia, memory loss, and depression. The study

concluded that mobile phone users seemed to experience subjective symptoms and the

intensity of those symptoms depended on the intensity of the cell phone use. Many of these

symptoms are directly related to the radiation emitted from cell phones, the position of the body

while using cell phones, and the length of time that each person uses the cell phone. The

suggested solutions to this problems are to limit frequency and duration of talking on the phone,
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holding phones away from your head, and maintaining a proper body posture while using cell

phones. This article was written by Santosh Patil, a doctor who is currently working at The

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology Jodhpur Dental College. His work is centered on

human health and radiology. The article was a report of the study that was done that included

background information on why the study was done and what the results were. It is an academic

article about an academic experiment that took place at a university. This article, in my opinion,

offered a lot more than my other sources did. It was a display of an actual study that was done

rather than a summary of one. It took place at a very established university, was executed and

evaluated well. The report helped me to understand every part of the experiment. It was

extremely detailed and left no room for questions. I enjoyed reading this article and found it very

valuable in my research process.