Do cell phones contain hazardous substances and can they harm us?
Is cell phone use dangerous to human health?
Is it safe to use a cell phone during pregnancy?
Should I let my child use a cell phone?
How does irresponsible recycling of electronics harm human health?
Do cell phones contain hazardous substances and can they harm us?
A number of the materials in cell phones can be hazardous to the environment and to human health at sufficiently high concentration levels, but they are not known to be harmful when encased within an intact phone. However, some materials can pose a danger at the end of a phone’s life, if the phone is improperly disposed of in a landfill or incinerator. Five of the potentially hazardous materials have been demonstrated to leach out of the phones under landfill conditions, where they could contaminate both the soil and groundwater. These are lead, antimony, copper, nickel and chromium. These metals have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects and developmental problems in children, and damage to the nervous, reproductive and immune systems.
In newer cell phones, the rechargeable batteries used are almost entirely lithium-ion and lithium-polymer based. These batteries are generally stable during normal use, but when they are crushed or if there is an external short circuit, hazardous reactions may occur. Due to the risks associated with improper disposal in landfills and incinerators, it is important to recycle the batteries along with the phones – including older nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries.
Average composition of cell phones (batteries excluded*)
What's in a cell phone handset?[1]
Is cell phone use dangerous to human health?
A March 2007 study showed a small but significant increase in certain benign and malignant brain tumors for long-term users of cell phones, especially on the side of the head where the person typically held his or her phone. The studies involved subjects that had greater than (or equal to) ten years of cell phone use. According to the authors, earlier studies covered insufficiently long periods of time to determine long-term carcinogenic risk from exposure to radiation emitted during the use of cell phones. The researchers involved have made a number of suggestions to minimize risk. They suggest using hands-free equipment and making only short calls on cell phones. And, while radiation emitted by most phones has decreased as the technology has improved, they recommend selecting phones that emit less radiation by checking the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the phones we buy; low radiation models score 0.6 and below.
Is it safe to use a cell phone during pregnancy?
A recent study published by the journal Epidemiology finds a correlation between the amount of mothers’ cell phone use during pregnancy and behavioral problems in their children at age 7.[2] Because this study is the first to suggest such a link, and may have omitted other factors that would explain its findings, its authors are cautious about drawing conclusions and recommend further research with different groups of mothers and children. However, they note the importance of the public health implications, if their findings are replicated in other research.
Should I let my child use a cell phone?
The exposure risks are likely to be greater for children because their skulls are thinner and their brains and nervous system are still developing. Thus, researchers recommend that parents be especially cautious about children’s cell phone use. Some even suggest that children should not be given cell phones at all.
How does irresponsible recycling of electronics harm human health?
Discarded electronics are ending up in developing countries where little to no infrastructure exists to safely and efficiently recover the valuable materials or manage the electronic scrap without harm to human and environmental health. Certain flame-retardants found in electronics, which are used to reduce the risk of fire, and polyvinyl chloride- (PVC) containing materials pose risks to human health. Crude recovery practices that include acid leaching and open burning create toxic emissions from the flame-retardants and PVC-containing materials.
A recent study of soil samples taken in a village in southeast China, where dismantling and recovery operations have been ongoing for the last decade, showed high concentration of toxins such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). PBDEs are contained in some flame-retardants used in electronics and other products, and have been found to persist in many places in the environment, most shockingly showing up in human breast milk. PCDD/Fs are emitted from the burning of PVC-containing materials and are known to be highly toxic.[3] The EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which entered into force July 1, 2006, bans Penta-BDE and Octa-BDE, two of the flame-retardants used in electronics.
[1] Jaco Huisman, “QWERTY and Eco-Efficiency Analysis on Cellular Phone Treatment in Sweden: The Eco-Efficiency of the Direct Smelter Route Versus Mandatory Disassembly of Printed Circuit Boards,” Delft, Netherlands: Delft University of Technology, 2004.
[2] The Independent 5/18/08
H. A. Divan, L. Kheifets, C. Obel, & J. Olsen (July 2008). Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Cell Phone Use and Behavioral Problems in Children. Epidemiology, 19, 1 – 7. Available for subscribers only on the journal website.
[3] Anna Leung, et al, “Spatial Distribution of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Soil and Combusted Residue at Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Site in Southeast China,” Environmental Science & Technology 41, 8, (2007): 2730-2737.