Cellular Phones, Technology or Social Disasters?
...able to contact 911 is clearly the most important option that should be available to the handicapped and the Mobile911 makes that possible with a single large button that calls 911when pressed. The phone also features a siren triggered by squeezing that may be too difficult for the handicapped or elderly to activate (http://www.insiderreports.com). Another advantage of having a cell phone is the reliability and security it brings in knowing that you have one. At critical points in time, people with cell phones can reach help more quickly and easily than people who do not have cell phones. Although cellular phones have many advantages to our society, they definitely have their share of disadvantages. Driving safety concerns, health concerns, and social changes are a few disadvantages that are caused by the use of cellular phones. Along with this convenience comes a great risk. Wireless phone use is currently receiving a great deal of legislative attention with several municipalities recently having passed (or considering passing) laws that prohibit or limit cell phone use (or hand-held cell phone use) while driving. Some of the legislation seems to be based on the belief that the use of hands-free devices is less distracting and may be preferable to hand-held phones. However, others believe that any activity involving mental (such as conversation) or physical (such as eating or playing with the radio) involvement distracts drivers, and that hands-free phones simply offer convenience to drivers. This year, 27 states are considering legislation to prohibit drivers’ use of cell phones while they’re behind the wheel. To date, only New York prohibits drivers from using handheld phones (Royal 22). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately one in four (26%) drivers report involvement in a motor vehicle crash in the past five years. One tenth of one percent (0.1%) of all drivers (0.5% of drivers who use a cell phone while driving) attributes a crash they’ve had to cell phone use. This equates to an estimated 292,000 drivers who report involvement in a crash they attribute to cell phone use in the past five years (Royal). As far as health is concerned, various studies are now beginning to link cell phone radiation emissions to the growth of brain tumors, along with other health problems. In August, Swedish researchers from Orebro University and the Karolinska Institute reported on cell-phone use among 1,429 patients with brain tumors diagnosed between January 1997 and June 2000 and 1,470 tumor-free people otherwise closely matched to the patients. The researchers found that users of analog cell phones were significantly more likely to develop a benign brain tumor than nonusers (“Are cell phones safe?”). In the May 2002 issue of Differentiation, a scientific journal on cellular and biological research, a Finnish team reported that when human cells were exposed to cell-phone radiation in lab studies for one hour, protein changes occurred. One of the altered proteins plays a role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream (“Are cell phones safe?”). With cell phones being so massively popular these days, precautions need to be made to protect customers who are not educated about these dangers. The cell phone industry, however, is trying to deny the research of radiation influence on humans. The fact still remains that cell phones do cause negative side effects, including cancer, and more innocent Americans are being affected every day. In terms of social changes, cellular phones are having an overwhelming effect on our interpersonal interactions. One of my personal pet peeves, as well as a social disadvantage of the cell phone, is when people standing next to you in a grocery store line or at...