Amanda Cordero

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 1010

April 9, 2015

The Impact Electronics Have On Our Health

In 2009, Samantha Boutet and her seemingly healthy family were living in the lower mainland area of British Columbia. Around that time, Samantha’s daughter, Amelia Boutet, suddenly began suffering from daily migraines and headaches at just nine years old.  Amelia underwent numerous medical evaluations, but a diagnosis could not be established. Even their pediatrician at BC Children’s Hospital could not explain the migraines. Her symptoms seemed to diminish during a camping trip the family took. Upon returning to school, her symptoms worsened. In addition to headaches, she began to experience dizziness, heart palpitations, and an inability to concentrate. School officials became concerned with Amelia’s symptoms and suggested that she was suffering from anxiety. This didn’t sit well with Boutet, a Naturopathic Physician, but she could still not explain why these symptoms only occurred at school. 

As the family became increasingly frustrated, Boutet was at a Halloween party where a conversation being held by other parents grabbed her attention. The parents were talking about a documentary based on electromagnetic radiation that explained Wi-Fi in schools was making children sick. After watching this video of children being affected the same way her daughter was, the worried mother drove to Amelia’s old classroom from the previous year and took a close look around. That was when she saw numerous Wi-Fi routers throughout the classroom and hallways. Feeling desperate, she pulled both of her daughters out of school. “After two weeks, there was quite a good improvement…All symptoms decreased dramatically once we took her out of school,” she said.

Boutet remained persistent as she pressed the school to report the problem to their health and safety officer. She strongly believed people were in denial about the negative health effects of electromagnetic radiation on the body, because they were “addicted” to their technology. Pollution from cell phone towers and Wi-Fi were overpowering the Lower Mainland so densely, that she took her two daughters and moved away. Several moves later, they found themselves in a safer environment with other health conscious people like themselves who took the EMR issue seriously (Wickett).

Many cases similar to the Boutet’s are substantially occurring more frequently all around the world today. With developing technology and growing populations, many people fall victim to the negative effects electronic use has on their health; weight gain, sleep deprivation, lack of concentration, cancer from electromagnetic radiation, and even emotional issues. As the word is getting out about possible side effects, more and more people are beginning to question the safety of that supposedly cancer-causing device in their hands. Almost every electronic device, including cell phones, will impact us each in some way or another. Whether we are staying up late and suffering the next day with a lack of energy, simply not getting enough exercise, or poisoning ourselves with radiation, today’s cellular epidemic is taking an “unhealthy toll” on our bodies.

Late night electronic use affects our bodies in more way than one. Basically, it all comes down to sleep. Many health professionals recommend getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, but no one ever says anything about that cell phone lying next to your pillow. Medical Director of the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance in Calgary, Charles Samuels, said “Keeping your phone on or close to you at night essentially turns the average teenager into a shift worker,” he continued “People have no idea how poor their daytime functioning is because of all this disturbance and continuous connectedness with devices like these” (qtd. in Hutchins).

Memory and attention are also affected negatively, which contributes to daytime fatigue. Receiving sporadic text messages and notifications throughout the night  

Fig. 1. Graph showing how many people mindlessly sleep next to their phones at night compared the number of people who leave it elsewhere. Huffington Post.

definitely interferes with the “recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night” rule.  As shown in Figure 1, over 64% of people who own cell phones routinely sleep with it within arms length away. “It’s more convenient, and maybe a little comforting to know that I have my phone by me…I don’t know why, but I definitely feel comfort, for sure—which is sad,” says a 25-year old grad student at Dalhousie University (qtd. in Hutchins). The ringing of our pocket-sized social lives at 3 a.m. is not the only cause of sleep deprivation. According to Lauren Hale, Associate Professor of Preventative Medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, our bodies produce a sleep-promoting hormone called melatonin which can be strongly suppressed by the light-emition coming from our communication technologies, resulting in insomnia (Terbush). 

A “preliminary study” of 40 young people suggests that more than 50% of children who use a form of media before bedtime experience difficulties learning and, more often than not, mood swings. 77% percent of the kids involved in the study at JFK Medical Center Sleep Laboratory in Edison. N.J. originally had trouble falling asleep after getting wired up on media. “Young people who used the most bedtime media—from cell phones to video games—were more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression and learning problems during the day” (Szabo, Brophy). Parents should set limits to their children’s media use, because circumstances like these are completely avoidable. For example, setting a “media curfew”—allowing electronics up until 8 p.m.—would be beneficial to a young child and their developing brain.

Although watching TV before bed is the most popular distraction for people of all age ranges, studies show that about 61% percent of people use their laptops or computers at least a few nights a week within an hour of their bedtime (Terbush).  Netflix, a new movie streaming network, gives people access to thousands of their favorite movies and shows.  Being able to watch a full season of ‘Friends’ while lying in bed cuddling your dog encourages “binge streaming”. But is late night Netflix “binging” the only thing keeping you up? Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that reading books on electronic devices before bedtime disrupts the body’s natural sleep rhythms (Tweed). Another seemingly harmless factor is reading. Reading an “old-fashioned” book consisting of paper prior to bedtime is not detrimental to your health, compared to the electronic copies you can instantly download on your tablet. Therefore, technology isn’t always as “convenient” as it may seem.

A lack of good quality sleep is said to be directly linked to the inability to manage body weight. The exposure to the blue-light that emits from laptops, tablets, or smartphones, may make you eat more. Both the blue light and insomnia are side effects of electronic usage, that both lead to weight gain. An increase in hunger lasting up to two full hours is felt just fifteen minutes after being exposed to blue-light. “Certain kinds of foods can activate brain regions that regulate appetite and metabolism,” says Phyllis Zee, Ph.D., M.D. (qtd. in “Is Your Phone…”). Altering the natural rhythms of insulin and glucose production substantially affects hunger, which is exactly what staring at a lit screen does, according to Zee. Most can remember a time where they have been watching television or surfing the web when they get endless urges to binge on everything in the food pantry. Many do not realize it, but we as humans tend to eat more after being on an electronic device.

There’s a lot of talk on how all of this technology is making us fat. Even in the popular Walt Disney production, Wall-e, humans in the technologically advanced world are portrayed as being fat and lazy. On the contrary, the motivational and fitness based attributes that a tablet can offer tend to go unappreciated. One determined man, Joel Mathis, used this opportunity provided by his iPad to turn his life around; in a positive way. He says that using the Kindle app to do his research on food saved him a lot of money. He tracked his calories, physical activity, and hours of sleep he was getting per night. After losing 10 pounds, Mathis says, “For the first time in my life, I feel like I have the power to control myself and to form good habits. My iPhone and iPad have been indispensable tools in the process.”

Unfortunately, stories like Joel Mathis’s are harder to come by. Relationships in the modern world are harder to maintain as well. Have you ever wondered just how much technology interferes with your relationships? “When your partner is on the phone instead of focusing attention on you, you feel rejected—and it hurts.” According to Guy Winch, Ph.D. This is a very relatable statement made by Winch, because no one wants to feel like they’re unimportant, especially to one’s significant other. By scrolling through your phone in the midst of a date, you could be sending the wrong message; “What I’m doing on my phone right now is more important than you,” “I’m more interested in these random people than you,” or even “You’re not worthy of my attention, period” (Winch). Stress in a relationship can really take a toll on your mental health. Chronic electronic use has not only physical repercussion, but emotional ones also.

Although there are many negative byproducts kindled by technology, some are more alarming than others. Radiofrequency energy is a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from cell phones. Studies have linked electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to the development of brain tumors, genetic damage, and other exposure-related conditions. This energy is absorbed into the tissues closest to where a person uses their phone, which is known to cause cancer. For instance, there have been reports of brain tumors located where cell phones are commonly held against the ear region of the skull, and also breast cancer in women who often carry their cell phones in their bras. Small children are thought to be in greater danger, due to smaller skulls. More than a dozen studies have associated child leukemia and overexposure to residential magnetic fields, with the risk of leukemia doubled when the 24-hour dose exceeds its threshold. Spending many years on your cell phone for as little as an hour a day will increase your risk of developing a brain tumor by 240% compared to if you never use one, according to a Swedish study (Kovach).  In the article “How Are People Exposed?” American Cancer Society claims,

The amount of RF energy absorbed from the phone into the user’s body is known as the specific absorption rate (SAR). Different cell phones have different SAR levels… But according to the FCC, comparing SAR values between phones can be misleading. The listed SAR value is based only on the phone operating at its highest power, not on what users would typically be exposed to with normal phone use. The actual SAR value during use varies based on a number of factors, so it’s possible that a phone with a lower listed SAR value might actually expose a person to more RF energy than one with a higher listed SAR value in some cases. (“Cellular Phones”)

            Brain cancer is not the only serious health concern that many fear. Researchers are rigorously studying the connection between EMR and Multiple Sclerosis. “Because Multiple Sclerosis sets up the nervous system to short circuit very easy, the electrical stimulation, that can bombard the body from the electrical devices you are around most days of the week, can cause the MS nerves to become “stuck” in over drive, which can make the nervous system short-circuiting even worse” (“Causes of MS”). Multiple Sclerosis sufferers should be forewarned about the danger before purchasing a cellular phone.

            Matti Niemela, Nokia’s former chief technology officer (CTO), enjoyed his job working around cell phones everyday; until he fell ill, of course. Year by year, his symptoms became increasingly worse. Slurred speech and loss of coordination were wreaking havoc on his daily life. “ I couldn’t walk around while talking on the mobile-phone, because it would cause coordination problems,” Niemela continued, “My ear felt hot when I talked on the phone for a long time. I struggled on, using the phone until I could no longer feel my skin. Then I had to go to the doctor” (qtd. in “Former Nokia Boss…”).

   

Fig. 2. A comparison of the brain before and after electromagnetic radiation from a cellular device shows the excessive heat (red areas) generated from cell phones. Kovach.

Niemela was soon diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis caused by brain damage from exceptionally high levels of cell phone radiation. Toxins bypass the blood-brain-barrier in heavy cell phone users, due to the extremely harmful radiation that is emitted (Former Nokia Boss Crippled…”). As seen above in Figure 2, a generous amount of heat is dangerously produced from a seemingly short conversation, as experienced by Matti Niemela.

            Whether you stay up late to read an electronic copy of “Of Mice and Men” or talk on the phone for prolonged periods of time, it is important to recognize all the health concerns you are setting yourself up for. Sleep deprivation alone, most commonly a result of bedtime gaming, can lead to weight gain, decrease in cognition performance, problems concentrating, and fatigue. Blue-light exposure can also lead to weight gain, as it increases hunger by altering insulin and glucose production. Although weight gain is a common occurring side effect, more serious health problems such as spinal wear and tear, brain tumors, Multiple Sclerosis, and migraines are also linked to daily electronic usage. Your mental health may also be at risk, as your relationships may be strained when one—or both—partners are absorbed in their latest tweet, ultimately leading to depression. Limiting technologies that cause these issues is nearly impossible, but cutting back and taking proper precautions could save you from a lifetime of troubles.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

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