Surprising? You didn’t
know; but now you know that that trusted tool for communication and
entertainment at your hand can be somehow a weapon to bring you down. Just like
time bomb the effects may range from immediately to over a period of time. In
the smartphone age, we’re all used to having technology at our fingertips. The
digital era but when it comes to powering down for the night, it’s best to keep
mobile devices at arm’s length. There are a handful of reasons to dock your
device when bedtime rolls around, from the sleep-disrupting blue light to the unknown
risks of the electromagnetic radiation they emit.Alright we all acknowledge a
phone as an electronic pet; so this makes us sleep next to it, worse enough to
sleep with it beside your pillow, more risky when its charging near you, and
most dangerous when its charging and at same time you are listening to music
over the earphones. The same pet leads you into accidents be it road accidents,
domestic violence due to some suspicions i.e illegal affairs esp. in couples
and young age relationships. WE CAN be
prudent enough not to let this time bomb explode our health and lives.
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| Phone user in public with earphones on. |
10. HEALTH HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH USAGE OF PHONES.
1. ACCIDENTS
REMEMBER the phones that explode while charging and end up burning the user. (several cases reported some deaths).That aside, as long as your phone is with you, the chances that you check your phone aggressively while travelling are undoubtedly higher. Be it while driving or while crossing the road, mobile phone can be a potential distraction. That sms or phone call ringtone can prompt you to have a look at your phone. If not that, there’s some sort of irritations that compel you to use the phone. Sometimes, you may attend to your phone and at same time endanger your life. According to the WHO, we now have a lot of research showing an increased risk of traffic accidents with mobile usage (3-4 times greater). Ever hear of drivers plunging into other vehicles, pedestrians walking into wrong directions and get hurt. Some are hit by motorists and vehicle because they shifted their attention from the road to the phone. This has claimed quite some lives. Another case where a pedestrian fails to hear the car hooting behind because he/she is busy with loud music running to his ears via earphones. This could be avoided if proper phone usage is adhered to. Accidents can also come by especially from issues derive from phone; marital affairs due to loyalty suspicions, young teenagers fighting and injuring lovers just because of the phone.
2. RISKS OF CANCER.
Mobile phones emit radio-frequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues close to the phone. The amount of radiofrequency energy a mobile phone user is exposed depend on many factors as the technology of the phone, the distance between the phone and the user, the extent and type of mobile phone use and the user’s distance from cell phone towers. As reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), mobile phones emit radiofrequency (RF) fields a
1000 times greater than what is emitted from base stations. It's obvious that this increased emission is likely to have some adverse effect on health of users. Although there is no clear evidence suggesting that exposure to RF fields increases the risk of cancer, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified RF as a possible carcinogen in humans though this has to be a very long exposure probably more than 10yrs.
3. INDUCED INFECTION.
How many of you use your phones in the washroom? And how
many still have to use their phones in the kitchen.? Here’s a good reason why
you shouldn’t. Its okay to wash your hands after visiting the toilet, but how do disinfect their phones too yet they we busy replying a few pop ups while
pooping some shit.! Cell phones not only serve as a home for your valuable data
but also carry millions of infectious microorganisms. You may not see them with
naked eyes, but exposure to it will make you sick. A study found that mobile
devices are highly contaminated with organisms from fecal origin. They are a
niche for several germs like Esicheria coli
(known to cause vomiting and diarrhea) and Staphyloccocus aureus (known
to cause skin infections).
4. INFERTILITY
Beware men! Your phone can even make you infertile. As of
now there’s enough evidence to show that mobile phone radiation decreases sperm
count in male rats. To identify whether the same holds true in humans,
Wdowiak.A and colleagues carried out a research which revealed that the group
of men who used mobile phones had a decreased sperm cell count in their semen,
leading to infertility. This may be due to the electromagnetic rays that can
penetrate through your clothing to the testicles. Worse still to those who use
laptops at their laps, those who carry their smartphones at front pocket near their genitals, or use their phone in near proximity to their genital region.
The effect may not be immediately but for over time once the sperm count
reduces, that increase the risk of infertility. Who would want to be infertile just
because of the phone.
5. SLEEP DISORDERS
Somehow night-time has always been favorite among regular chatting and gossiping freaks. But do you know that the main reason why you are sleep deprived? Several studies have concluded this. One of them is a cohort study by Sara Thom eet al which found that high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disorders. Major contributing factors to interrupted sleep pattern are getting awakened in the middle of the night due to mobile rings and vibration and increased use of mobiles post-evening until midnight.
6. HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Today, every alternate person on the streets,work ,home etc has earphones plugged in. But that's not the only reason why hearing loss is increasing in youth and adults. Your mobile radiation is an additional factor that’s making you deaf. Studies report that long-term exposure to electromagnetic (EM) field from cell phones contributes to reducing hearing function. A study by Oktay MF and Dasdag.S showed that people who attended phone calls for approximately 2 hours every day were at a higher risk of impaired hearing compared to those who moderate users; Also loud volumes especially on music and videos could be leading to impairment too. You eardrum gets weak due to the vigorous vibration and sound waves. This may lead to headache too.
7. EYE PROBLEMS
A lot of people use their mobiles to read e-books, do web surfing, etc. apart from texting. When you do so, the glaring screen and small font size put a lot of strain on your eyes, especially if you’re reading in the dark. For the broad light especially when the phone brightness is not sufficient, you might find yourself squinting your eyes to see whatever is on screen. This is eye strain. Mobile devices have a smaller screens so you tend squint or open up your eyes wide open and blink lesser number of times. This can cause dry eyes and reddening. Other eyes problems that can be noticed include myopia. A study states that he has noted a 35% increase in the number of cases of advanced myopia in people from the time smart phones were launched. To avoid this:
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| Eye strain |
- Hold your phone at least 30 centimeters away from your eyes when you are using it.
- Do not use the phone in poorly lit or dark rooms. The burst of light from the screen can cause immense strain on the eyes.
- Do not look at your phone as soon as you wake up or in the middle of the night. This is because when you sleep, the eyes are resting and the pupil is relaxed. A sudden burst of light into the eye causes the muscles in the eyes to retract suddenly. Exposing the muscles of the eyes frequently to such strain could lead to refractive errors.
8. CARDIAC/HEART PROBLEMS
Over exposure to radiation from cell phones is not only
associated with cancer but also with chronic diseases like heart problems. A
study published in European Journal of Oncology, radiations emitted by cordless
phones, including mobiles, contribute to abnormalities in heart function.
Results reported that radiation causes the red blood cells (RBCs) to seep
hemoglobin and lead to heart complications.
9. SUSPECTED TRAUMA.
Scientists have reported adverse health effects of using
mobile phones including changes in brain activity, reaction times, and sleep
patterns. More studies are underway to try to confirm these findings. When mobile
phones are used very close to some medical devices (including pacemakers,
implantable defibrillators, and certain hearing aids) there is the possibility
of causing interference with their operation.
With this digital era, especially the youth generation, there’s a lot of stress induced due to phone. Being not able to afford airtime, indifference in the type of phones your peers have, mood swings due to relationship affairs just because of the phone, social media exposure and self-esteem issues. All this leads to stress. Lovers break up with one another maybe just because of phone what follows next is a series of stress ans this lead to psychological traumas and depression. In fact when you break your phone, when its not performing the way its supposed to, and worse when it gets lost, the amount of stress and possible depression one gets in is so significant to lead to.
CONCLUSION
Having a phone is good thing, having a smartphone is even
better feeling. Arrogance just because you own a phone and therefore you have
all what pertains to have it is rally counting lives of phone users. Ranging
from minor, serious injuries to death just because of phone. Though we all like
using phone even me, Lets be careful and vigilant on our usage.
References
- Thehealthsite.com/news/smartphones-could-ruin-your-eyes-74605
- Healthguide.com/health hazard-of-cell-phones.
- Afyafitness.blogspot20.com/why-avoid-phone-some-hours-before-sleep.
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