The number of worldwide mobile phone users as reported by Ericsson is predicted to reach 6.1 billion by 2020.
However, just like any other technology even the mobile technology has some drawbacks associated with it which have different ill effects on our mind and body.
6 Ways that your smart phone may be impacting your health:
- Mobile Phone Can Cause Hearing Impairment-In a study conducted by the American Academy of Otolaryngology the electromagnetic waves emitted by the phone can lead to hearing loss… not necessarily caused by high volume. It has been suggested that using hands free option or speaker will help protect the ears from the possible damage. It can also reduce the bad impact of intervening sounds when you listen to the phone on your ears.
- Your Phone Needs a Bath – Right after waking up many men (Phone in hand) are on the move from home to office, meeting people, bus stands, railway stations and metro etc. In an UK study conducted by the scientist of LSHTM and Queen Mary, University of London, 1 in 6 mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with fecal matter (coli). According to experts it is due to many people failing to hand wash properly with soap after going to the toilet. This exposes to harmful bacteria like E.coli O157 causing immune system compromising leading to food poisoning and deaths of many in Germany.
- Potential Security Dangers May Happen due to the Overuse of Cell Phones–Nowadays many parents are busy and young children may be unsupervised on a Smartphone. Most times it can be innocent games, but unsupervised use of cell phones can expose children from unintended risks. To prevent children and teens from becoming the victims of online grooming and predators, parents should be aware of children’s phone use.
- Exposure to Mobile Phone Radiation Can Cause Neoplasm- Talking on mobile phone exposes your brain to constant radiation which can lead to abnormal growth of the tissue or tumor formation. Also, keeping the mobile phones in the upper pocket can cause breast cancer even in men.
- Mental Stress and Sleep Disturbances-Modern day men suffer from greater level of mental stress as compared to their predecessors due to high level of work engagement and multitasking they carry out. Over use of mobile phones can lead to depression, disturbed sleep, phantom ringing or buzzing, and various other mental stress conditions.
- Mobile has Bad Affect on Men’s Reproductive Health– Direct exposure of mobile phone radiation has been found to affect the quality of the sperm in men. A study by Igor Gorpinchenko et al; published in Central European journal of Urology in 2014 higher non progressive movement of the spermatozoa and higher DNA fragmentation in them in the group of men exposed to mobile radiation as compared to the ones not exposed.
Conclusion: Mobile phones are an important part of everyone’s life, whether it is playing games, for online learning or for business success. Being aware of cell phone risks can help you to prevent any harmful effects.
Photo by NEC Corporation of America