The Buzz on Mental, Physical Effects of Cell Phones

Call it the ultimate hang up, but some of us would like to know what's all the buzz about cell phones.

Cell phones have made a large impact on how we live and interact with the world around us, but how are they affecting us socially? And, just as importantly, are they safe?

The social implications that cell phones bring with them are evident, just check out a group of teens and you will find most on a cell phone or texting, often opting for digital communication over group interaction.

Not that anyone is listening, but every conversation is broadcast in a public arena. It seems many cell phone users care little about privacy.

Then there is the phone as a status symbol. Is it bringing you the latest in communication technology, is it cool looking, are you hooked up and hooked in, even if you are informing the listener that you just tripped over your shoelace?

As cell phones become smaller and slimmer and as advertised more "attractive," in contrast a whole generation is growing fatter, as many studies are showing.

Cell phones use electromagnetic fields (EMF). These fields exist everywhere (the Earth's magnetic field); everyone is exposed to them in varying degrees. There is controversy as to whether cell phone use can be damaging to health.

"There is no harm in cell phones at all," Tanveer Wahid, of in Rocky Point,which sells and services computers, said. "They use radio waves. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that causes harm is in the short wavelengths--alpha, beta, gamma rays, etc. Radio waves are longer than light waves. If light from a light bulb won't harm you, then cell phones won't either."

Employees at Radio Shack could not comment on the record, according to corporate policy.

A local entertainer from Rocky Point who whised to remain anonymous, had a different opinion.

"I don't like seeing kids, seven, eight years old, with cell phones stuck to their heads," he said. "Their brains are still developing. I have two daughters, 11 and 13, I don't let them hold their phones to their ears. They use the phones mostly for texting. I know when I use the phone I feel a funny sensation in my head. Other people have told me the same thing, though most people don't have that problem. Maybe some people are more sensitive to it."

There have been many studies that indicate the possible harmful effects of cell phones. One by Dr. Michael Repacholi, head of the World Health Organizati­on's Electromag­netic Fields Project, exposed 100 mice to digitally pulsed cellular telephone-­type signals at power densities designed to approximat­e those experience­d by cellphone users. Forty-three percent developed cancer, compared to 22 percent of the control group not exposed to the EMF.

Ultimately, people should look into the matter for themselves, especially parents with children, and decide how to use this everyday technology in the best way possible.