| The ubiquitous cell phone has revolutionized the way | | | | The fear was that these devices were being held to |
| people communicate. Communication has become | | | | close to an individual's head, and this radiation could |
| more efficient, and way more accessible. Gone are | | | | cause some form of brain cancer. In a 1999 study, |
| the days of searching for a pay phone, and then | | | | investigators at the Orebro Medical Centre in Sweden |
| searching for those evasive quarters. Cell phones | | | | compared the past mobile phone use of 209 Swedish |
| have evolved from a large, one-dimensional device to | | | | brain tumor patients and 425 healthy people. The |
| its present multi dimensional, small form. They keep | | | | study found no mobile phone/brain cancer link in |
| millions of people in touch with business, family and | | | | virtually all respects, cancer researcher John E. |
| friends. In addition, they are proven to be very | | | | Moulder, Ph.D., says. All the available scientific |
| valuable during times of emergency. Contemporary | | | | evidence does not show that any health problems |
| cell phones perform many functions, access to the | | | | are associated with using wireless phones in adults, |
| Internet, access to streaming data, video cameras, | | | | children, and teenagers. In spite of this, prudent |
| and entertainment. They are clearly a great way to | | | | precautions should be exercised. These include taking |
| communicate, and in some cases are replacing | | | | measures to move the cell phone antenna at least |
| traditional telephones. | | | | eight inches away from your head by using |
| In 1843 Michael Faraday did a series of experiments | | | | hands-free sets, remote earpieces and microphones, |
| that ultimately lead to the underlining principals of | | | | or installing radiation shields for hand held phones. |
| today's cell phones. By 1947, a crude mobile phone | | | | In spite of the unbelievable demand for cell phones, it |
| was developed, and in 1977 cell phones went public. | | | | took cellular phone service 37 years total to become |
| The city of Chicago was where the first service was | | | | commercially accessible in the US, according to the |
| started with around 2000 subscribers. The term cell | | | | Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. |
| phone originated from the use of many base stations | | | | Today there are more than 60 million customers with |
| to divide service areas into multiple cells. These | | | | cell phones, in spite of the fact that wireless service |
| multiple cells allowed for a wider range of coverage, | | | | was just developed nearly 50 years ago. The cellular |
| and a greater call volume. The 1980's saw a genuine | | | | business was a $3 million market 25 years ago and |
| proliferation of cell phone use, and by the 1990s | | | | has grown exponentially to close to a $30 billion per |
| analog signals were being replaced by digital signals. | | | | year industry, and projections far exceed those |
| Like televisions, computers, and all other electrical | | | | numbers. |
| devices, mobile phones emit electromagnetic radiation. | | | | |