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The iPhone and the brain cancer debate.
- Thread starter Jade Cambell
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Well, it is safer than DHMO. http://www.dhmo.org/
man that DHMO is scary stuff. It should be banned immediately!
While I understand what the one poster was saying, about the cell phones being non-ionizing.. we need to think about this. Microwaves heat food by exciting the atoms in an object. Cell phones will do the same thing (so maybe they make a part of your body warm). However, what happens to something if you heat it too long in the microwave? It explodes. The same thing will happen to cells exposed too long to cellular waves. Do this over and over (repeat damage to the same cells) and you end up with cancer.
Will this stop me from using a cell phone? No... but it does make me limit my time on a cell phone, as well as use speaker phone on a regular basis.
Will this stop me from using a cell phone? No... but it does make me limit my time on a cell phone, as well as use speaker phone on a regular basis.
That argument is based upon a logical fallacy.
Just because microwave ovens use light waves to create heat and possibly cause things to explode, does NOT mean that all waves carry those same properties.
Basically, everything you said is false.
All waves do carry those same properties. Cells heat up because they get excited and move. Some frequencies cause it to happen faster. If I shine my 100,000 candle power light on my arm, I feel warm, but nothing bad happens. A quartz heater basically does the same thing. However, if any frequency is too intense it will cause damage.
Remember the old army guys back in the wars? They'd stand in front of the RADAR dishes on cold days and warm themselves up. Little did they know they were basically microwaving themselves from the inside!
A microwave works at 2.4Ghz because that's essentially the frequency at which water is most excitable. Guess what frequency your iPhone runs at? (2.4-WiFi) and (800/1.9Ghz-GSM). Although 800 I wouldn't be terribly worried about, 1.9 isn't that far from 2.4.... just something to think about.
If it doesn't matter, explain why our 2.4, 5.8, and 16GHz radio systems that we install each day come with big warnings saying not to stand in front of them, or be more than 2 feet from the antenna when it is on?
If it doesn't matter, why does the FCC have SAR regulations? It DOES matter.
No, not all "waves" have the same properties (as posted earlier). Wavelength (and associated energies) greatly affect how they penetrate and interact with matter.
You also leave out an important factor - power differences. You cannot compare the tissue heating potential of microwaves used in an oven with the output of a cell phone. There are many, many, orders of magnitude difference. Same thing with those other transmitters you mention. There are large differences in ERP.
You might have been able to shine the lamp on your arm from across the room, or even several feet away, without feeling much. But, I would NOT suggest you put your hand directly in front of it, it will get HOT. Radiated energy dissipates as the square root of the distance. So, if you get twice as close, there is 4 times the energy falling on a given surface.
People here can either make up their own physics (which some apparently are attempting to do), or educate themselves on reality. I obviously enjoy the subject and making an attempt to educate, but I can see this has become "the never ending" thread.
Not that this, in itself, is gonna convince anyone, but aside from a career as an engineer, I also hold a FCC Amateur Extra radio license (highest level, for those who are unfamiliar). Or, how about this? Spend some time researching the subject. http://www.arrl.org/ is a place to start. (amateur radio bands extend up to about 300GHz - covering just about any currently conceivable RF device)
I also hold an Amateur Radio License (though only Technician). I also understand the whole... power drops exponentially as you move away from the transmitter source. And the power output from the phone is VERY small. In theory because the power output is so small it shouldn't cause heating of the cells, etc..... but what do we really know? I don't "feel" anything happening when I transmit at VHF at 50watts in my car... but is it doing something to me? I don't know.... what I do know is... the whole cell heating is the reason I use a speaker/mic with my HT and keep it (the transmitter) away from my face when I'm talking on it.
So far there is no evidence whatsoever of any effect of mobile phones on humans. Radiation from mobile phones is about a factor 100 lower than any legal radiation limits.
There is evidence that mobile phone masts affect people. However, it seems that it is actually the fear of mobile phone masts, and not any radiation from those masts. There have been tests that showed conclusively that some people have symptoms when they are told that a phone mast is turned on, and the symptoms disappear when they are told the mast is turned off - independent on whether that mast _is_ turned on or not. There has been no evidence that turning a phone mast on or off has any effect.
Any radiation can cause cancer. But whether it happens to you is random. And risks are low. And remember that there is about 150 or so millirem per year of radioactive radiation around you; impossible to avoid. Mobile phones don't come anywhere near that. Other things to avoid are flying, climbing on high mountains, and X-rays.
There is a bigger chance that you die from worrying than dying from mobile phone radiation. Yes, worrying can kill you.
There is evidence that mobile phone masts affect people. However, it seems that it is actually the fear of mobile phone masts, and not any radiation from those masts. There have been tests that showed conclusively that some people have symptoms when they are told that a phone mast is turned on, and the symptoms disappear when they are told the mast is turned off - independent on whether that mast _is_ turned on or not. There has been no evidence that turning a phone mast on or off has any effect.
Any radiation can cause cancer. But whether it happens to you is random. And risks are low. And remember that there is about 150 or so millirem per year of radioactive radiation around you; impossible to avoid. Mobile phones don't come anywhere near that. Other things to avoid are flying, climbing on high mountains, and X-rays.
There is a bigger chance that you die from worrying than dying from mobile phone radiation. Yes, worrying can kill you.
I will agree with this. Additionally, even if mobile phone MASTS caused issue.. that's way different from a mobile PHONE causing issue. The mast will put out alot more power than the phone will.
Um. It's been calculated and measured? That's how we know.
Sounds like a visit to arrl.org would help with your understanding of the issues (I think one of the links I posted was to their RF exposure info). And/or talk with other amateurs in your local club. It's good to be aware of RF exposure limits (and it's required), but don't overreact.
On another note - think about upgrading your license sometime. Code is no longer a requirement (although, still a good thing to learn). HF can be a lot of fun.
We are totally di-gressing now, but yes I do plan to upgrade soon
Yep. Straying a tad off topic. 73
one of my friends is big into HAMs...whole family is. Whenever someone talks about that stuff I remember the line from the movie Contact:
"I'm going to need a bigger antenna"
<<cut to Aracibo>>
Yeah yeah off topic...sue me for my iPhone.
"I'm going to need a bigger antenna"
<<cut to Aracibo>>
Yeah yeah off topic...sue me for my iPhone.
The 15mm recommendation is when "on a call". It's also measured from the antenna, so that when it's being used at the ear, it's normally much farther away than 15mm.
I think SAR and how it's calculated has been discussed. Time is a factor, in addition to ERP. This is also mentioned in the iPhone manual. It also doesn't say the iPhone exceeds the recommended SAR [when used against the body at < 15mm], it says it may. The absolute amount of energy imparted to tissue is complicated by many factors.
There are links posted within this thread where you can learn more about how the exposure limit recommendations for cell phones (and RF in general) are figured.
What a great accessory idea! Tin foil hat, bluetooth headset, black turtleneck. What a look. Whip it!!
If people aren't going to pay attention to a contract and terms of use with the iPhone and AT&T do you really think anyone is going to follow a suggestion to hold the phone a certain distance from one's ear?
I sure don't.
As for the reason behind it, it's simple CYA from the legal department, that's all.
No, they do not specify 'on a call'. There is cellular activity whenever the phone is on unless in 'airplane mode'.
"When on a call using the built-in audio receiver in iPhone, hold iPhone with the 30-pin connector pointed down toward your shoulder to increase separation from the antenna."
The transmitter output varies, depending on the operational mode and signal environment.