Is your cell phone killing you?

There are days when talking on my cell phone is no big deal. But then there are those days when I can both hear and feel a friend talking to me. My ear seems to vibrate and my brain pulsates with every syllable of the person’s voice. That’s when I know it’s time to get off the phone.

Ever since cell phones have become a common accessory, people have disagreed on how safe these devices really are. Some studies say yes, while others say no.

For example, a recent research review by the World Health Organization has classified cell phone radiation as a possible cancer risk. However, two months after this announcement, another study came out saying that cell phones don’t pose a risk at all. Who are we supposed to believe?

The fact that widespread cell phone use has only occurred within the last 10 years means that there aren’t any long-term studies to provide us with a definite answer. Even without the hardcore evidence, though, you can’t help but wonder – when you start to get a headache from being on your cell phone for too long – if it’s really true.

For some people, the exposure to wireless devices causes them real pain. About five percent of Americans believe they suffer from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS). Electromagnetic radiation emitted from computers, televisions, and cell phones causes them to experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even heart palpitations or loss of consciousness.

In today’s tech-filled society, these poor people are forced to search for areas such as Green Bank, West Virginia, which is a U.S. Radio Quiet Zone. The 13,000 square mile area in which this small village is located bans wireless technology to prevent interference with radio telescopes. Here, people with EHS can live a pain-free, normal life. However, EHS is not recognized as a medical condition in the United States. The lack of evidence linking cell phones and other wireless devices to health risks may literally be killing us.

Until the research studies stop contradicting themselves, it looks like it’s up to us to limit the time we spend using wireless technology. This can be difficult to do, especially as the convenient capabilities of our cell phones continue to increase, but it’s not impossible. For the time being, we’ll just have to make the best of it by using our headsets or speakerphones, using our wireless devices less frequently, and crossing our fingers.