Cell phone for me? No thanks.
By Peter Schwartzman
Everywhere you look people now have something metallic in
their hands or pockets. Whatever this contraption is, it must be really
important. It interrupts conversations. It disrupts gatherings. It distracts us
while we drive. It disturbs us in the middle of the night. It costs a
considerable amount of money to maintain. And, it is easy to misplace and lose.
Despite all of these negative characteristics, more and more people seem to
want one—a mobile (or cellular) phone—and few appear ready to give it up. Well, I too don’t want to give it up. But my
“it” isn’t a cell phone but rather my freedom, my independence, my health, my
money, or the planet. Thus, I have never owned a cell phone nor do I plan on
doing so. More and more I not only feel isolated by this decision but find that
it is often a source of contention—i.e., people are uncomfortable with the fact
that I don’t have one and some even get angry with me. As such, I feel obliged
to flush out my reasons for not having (or wanting) one. By sharing these
reasons, I hope to offer a rationale for others not to get hooked on this
gadget in the first place or for giving it up (for those that are already
hooked).
Cell
phones have lots of positives, people tell me. They are extremely
convenient—you can contact nearly anyone (but me) from anywhere and at anytime.
They provide safety—if your car breaks down on the highway, you get lost in an
unfamiliar place, or if you witness a crime in action. They often come with
tons of accessories which allow people to tell time, check email, text friends,
take photos, get navigational instructions, etc.
All
this being said, I am not sold. Convenience comes at a price and I am already
too addicted to the Internet (via my computer) to adopt another vice.
Additionally, as I’ll hopefully show, cell phones come with a lot of concerns
and unanswered questions. For me, this is more than enough reason to say, “No,
thanks.”
There are three
fundamental areas of concern that I have with cell phones. They are responsible
for serious environmental and human rights abuses, they may be detrimental to
our health, and they seem to change our social relationships in questionable
ways.
From
an environmental perspective, cell phones are problematic in several ways. They
contain valuable substances that require mining. In particular, tantalum, a
metal which comes from columbite-tantalite (coltan, for short) ore, is used in
electronic equipment that engages in wireless communication. As such, once
refined, tantalum powder can be very valuable. An uncertain amount, but as high
as 80% according to grassroots organizations, of the world’s coltan comes from
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—formerly Zaire. Most of the coltan
in Central Africa is mined by desperately poor people, including young
children, who are easily manipulated and abused by large mining companies and
militias. Massive killings (presumably over territorial control) have been
reported in these coltan-rich regions. Much of the terrain where coltan is
mined also falls in the diminishing habitat of lowland gorillas; some estimate
that the unregulated coltan market is largely responsible for the loss of 90%
of these primates (Cellular News). And although, both the British Broadcast
Company (BBC) and ABC News broke the story on coltan (and the complications
created by its extraction) back in 2001 & 2002, most people still know very
little about it. Yet since the costs to humans and gorillas appear to be so
high, isn’t about time that we all became more aware of it? Several organizations
are trying very hard to do just this. Visit, www.eco-cell.org
or www.friendsofthecongo.org
for more information.
Cell
phones also contain many other heavy metals. These all require the continued mining
of the Earth, which is detrimental to the environment (via the destruction of
land, use of fossil fuels, and the introduction of toxins during the extraction
process). One way to gauge how much mined material is actually in a cell phone
requires looking at the recycling industry surrounding them. One firm in Japan
claims that given equal volumes of “discarded mobile phones” and ~2,000 pounds
of mined ore, the cell phone “heap” will contain ~20,000 times more copper and
~600 times more silver, not to mention many other metals such as indium,
antimony, bismuth and gold. Despite the huge potential savings (both economic
and environmental) from recycling unusable phones, in Japan it is estimated
that only 20-30% are properly recycled (partly because people are afraid of
others getting personal information off of them) (Yoshikawa).
From a
health perspective, cell phones have raised a lot of eyebrows as well. First,
cell phones use microwave radiation to communicate. This concerns some because
microwaves are more energetic than radio or TV waves—between forty to
two-thousand times more energized per photon depending on wavelength. Since
radiation of these energy levels can make chemicals heat up, react with other
chemicals, or ionize molecules (i.e., change electron number), living cells
have the potential to change if exposed to microwaves. Some scientists and
health officials have raised concerns that adding additional microwave energy
into the environment, via cell phones, wireless phones and wireless
communication (i.e., Wi-Fi), may be detrimentally affecting biological
functions in humans and other living things.
Additionally,
not everyone is exposed to the same amount of microwave energy. People living
near cell towers, where radiation intensities are obviously higher (because
multiple calls are being relayed simultaneously and because the signals must be
strong enough that they don’t attenuate too much before they reach the user),
have unique risks that have yet to be properly evaluated. Children also appear
more vulnerable because these waves penetrate much deeper into their skulls and
brains. Very little research has been done on children and only recently have
children been using cell phones widely.
So
what does the science say about the health effects of cell phones? It depends
on whom you want to believe and how much evidence is sufficient to give you
pause. An article published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2007
concludes that the funding source of scientific research looking for health
effects of cellular phone use appears to influence the results (i.e., studies
funded by industry were more likely to show “no effect” than those funded by
public agencies or charities) (Huss et al.). This is a very disturbing
finding.
Many
studies have been done on short-term effects of cell phones and cell phone
towers. Some conditions, such as cancer, typically take many years to develop.
But, since cell phones are a relatively new technology, long term consequences
are nearly impossible to ascertain at this time. Furthermore, any negative
indication that cell phone usage among children may be harmful is also not
easily determined (given the relatively brief period of time that children have
been using them).
However,
despite these difficulties, there are some early indications that serious
problems may exist. Devra Davis, a world-renowned epidemiologist and
award-winning author, hosts a website (www.devradavis.com)
that highlights some of the more disturbing scientific findings. One of the
most comprehensive studies ever done—performed by the World Health
Organization, known as the Interphone study—is still underway but early
evidence suggests that glioma brain tumors are more prevalent among people who
have used cell phones for at least ten years. Many other studies find damaging
effects in other organs—kidneys and heart. But the overwhelming conclusion of
the research so far is: We don’t know yet if cell phones (and increased
microwave exposure) are harmful to humans. This isn’t a comforting thought for
those that err on the side of caution. This is particularly disturbing when you
consider that children are using cell phones more and more frequently—and an
increasing number of them even sleep with them under their pillow—and science
hasn’t done much at all to determine what the effects of cell phones will have
on their developing bodies and brains. This is one of the major reasons that
several countries, including France, Canada, and India, have issued warnings
that children should limit their cell phone usage as much as possible.
If
anything in the previous paragraph surprises you, it shouldn’t. The
introduction of untested chemicals and products into our lives is very common.
Most industrialized chemicals that spew into our environment each and every day
haven’t been properly tested and far fewer have been tested on the effects they
might have on children or pregnant mothers (and their fetuses). For more on
this topic, please consult my previous The Zephyr articles on this
matter (from 4/25/2002 and 4/24/2003).
For
the latest information on cancer and cell phones, I encourage you to go to the
University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute’s Center for Environmental
Oncology’s website: www.environmentaloncology.org.
They have a “briefing book” that is updated regularly and addresses “what the
[latest] science says” on the matter.
If
the environmental and health concerns weren’t enough, I am still uneasy about
the ways in which cell phones seem to alter our forms of interaction and communication.
(While these comments are not based on scientific evidence—in contrast to the
first two sections—it is something that I still think deserves inquiry.) First
of all, cell phones make us available at all times. Whatever happened to having
down time or private time? Doesn’t anyone want peace and quiet or a sense of
serenity anymore? Often when I am engaged with people in important discussions,
we get interrupted by a ringing cellular phone. Not only is this irritating for
both parties but it destroys the atmosphere and continuity.
More
important than disrupting conversations, cellular phones, and in particular,
the texting feature that comes with them, keeps us connected 24-7. Isn’t there
anything better to do than connect with others cybernetically? I already spend
too much time reading and writing emails. Must I spend all of my free time
hooked to a mobile device so I never have time to engage with the immediate
world around me? What about sitting down and reading a good book or walking
through the neighborhood and actually talking to neighbors face to face?
Wouldn’t that serve an important, and often overlooked, purpose?
A few
other matters concern me. Don’t cell phones lend themselves to a
hyper-consumeristic mentality—instant gratification and access or, otherwise,
disappointment and frustration. How much more materialistic can we get? Also,
can we become too reliant on cell phones? We will no longer need to know many
things (such as, numeric calculations, word spelling, etc.) because everything
becomes readily available at the tip of our fingers. I’d rather keep my brain
active than depend on a machine. Lastly, what about the tracking of
individuals? Many cell phones now come with GPS tracking systems. This allows
someone (or many someones) to know where you are at all times. Personally, I
like the idea that I can be “loose” and “free” from surveillance cameras and
sophisticated technologies. I’m not going to implant a chip into me
voluntarily. Are you?
Well,
hopefully I have given you something to chew on. Remember that not everything
we chew is worth swallowing and, at the same time, some things that don’t taste
all that good the first time are really good for us in the end. I recognize
that I may be the last person on Earth without a cell phone—which perhaps is a
fitting epitaph for me. I don’t suspect I am going to change the world by not
having one, but at least I am free not to (for now). The same cannot be said
for letting my lawn grow wild or working in a Wi-Fi free environment. These freedoms
have been lost. What’s next?
References:
Cellular News. Coltan. www.cellular-news.com/coltan/
Huss, A. et al. (2007) “Source of Funding and Results of
Studies of Health Effects of Mobile Use: Systematic Review of Experimental
Studies.” Environmental Health Perspectives, 115 (Jan).
Yoshikawa, M. (2008) “Urban miners look for precious metals
in cell phones.” Reuters. (Apr 27).
Peter Schwartzman (email: wordnerdauthor@gmail.com)
is associate professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at
Knox College. Father to two amazing girls, Peter hopes that their lives will be
lived on a less-toxic, more just, more loving planet. A nationally-ranked
Scrabble® junkie, he is also the founder and maintainer of websites dedicated
to peace and environmental well-being (www.onehuman.org
& www.blackthornhill.org)
as well as cofounder of The Center (thecenteringalesburg.org).
02/26/09