This is certainly a real and most serious concern and we'll be seeing more and more reports as time goes on, as the true effects start to materialise. The thing to remember is that mobile phones have only started being used extensively in the last 8 or so years. It will take time for any definitive effects to become apparent. (typically 10 - 20 years), therefore anyone who says that they are not harmfull is doing so without any real knowledge or understanding!
The fact is that radio frequency (RF) transmissions are DANGEROUS. As to how dangerous, well that all depends on the intensity and duration of exposure. No one really knows and those that say it is not a problem, have no evidence to substantiate that it is not, infact there is more evidence coming to light to say that it is a potentially real serious problem! Any possible adverse effects that these devices have on human tissue, should not be taken lightly! It is still early days and time will tell as it did for smoking, asbestos related products and countless of chemicals and herbacides, in the past.
The simple fact is that everyone should be aware that the longer you use the phone the greater the adverse affects are likely to be. There is no doubt whatsoever, and it is well documented that high levels of RF are DANGEROUS! Cell phones transmit at much lower energy levels, but their consistant and prolonged use may well have a cumalitive effect.
Although there is no proof to indicate that mobile phones can cause cancer, there is sufficient debate and more studies happening to cause doubt as to the relative safety. As a telecommunications engineer I am aware of the power density levels produced by mobile phones and the effect they can have on different people.
Mobile phones transmit using radio frequency radiation (RFR). Dependant on the network this can range between 800MHz and 2GHz. These are radio waves located within the electromagnetic spectrum. X-rays which are known to cause cancer through ionizing radiation are also within the electromagnetic spectrum, however, RFRs cannot cause cancer in the same way as x-rays because RFRs are non-ionizing.
However, high levels of RFRs can cause health effects through heating the human body (thermal effects), resulting in headaches and possibly other symptoms.
Whilst it cannot be shown at this point in time that the thermal effects from mobile phones are a health hazard there is a considerable body of scientific literature which describes the effects of RFR in biological systems that cannot be directly attributed to heating. These effects are referred to as non-thermal and have been demonstrated to cause alteration in animal behaviour, or changes in the functioning of cell membranes.
To limit the possible adverse effects mobile phones may have I would suggest that anyone concerned about their use should;
- Limit the prolonged use of mobiles to under a couple of minutes at a time.
- Use the phone in handsfree speaker mode.
- Avoid using the phone in a confined space (such as in the car or building) as this causes the phone to radiate at the higher power levels to get a signal out.
Personnaly I avoid using the phone as much as possible and if I need to use it I keep it under a few minutes or use it in hands free speaker phone mode.
If you want to read some more detailed neurological studies and reports then checkout the following links