Saoirse





In class we have been learning about waves we had to do a project on either Mircro waves, cell phones or television I choose cell phones as it takes such a big part in our daily lives. =**Cell Phones**= Saoirse Moriarty = How do mobile phones work? = When you are, for example, calling someone on your mobile phone will find a base station which gives coverage of a certain area, called a cell. Basically there is a mast in certain areas that gives coverage to a certain area when you drive or walk into another cell then the coverage changes to that cell. Your phone will change the sound, what you say on the phone) into numbers and change that into radio waves. The radio waves will get sent to the nearest mast, which gives coverage to the cell, and the mast will send the radio waves to the person you sent the call up. Depending on how busy or empty the ‘cell’ is the coverage may be good or bad. In busy cities there are more base stations/ cells than in rural areas because there is less demand. = Effects = Scientists/ researchers are constantly trying to find possible health risks associated with mobile phones. Especially seeing a lot of people use them. However so far they have found no concrete proof. They have however found affects but do not see any health risk linked. When calling for a long amount of time the tissues in your brain start to warm up however they cool quickly and so far there have been no health risks associated with that. There is also proof that after a long time spent on the phone there is a 5% increase in glucose (sugar in your brain). However they where no obvious health risks associated with that either. Researchers have specifically concentrated on Cancer, Traffic accidents, Electromagnetic interference and other health effects. Cancer: There is no current evidence that using a phone can promote caner. Traffic accidents: Research has clearly shown an increase in traffic accidents whilst using mobile phones (including hands free). Electromagnetic interference: When mobile phones are used close to some other medical devices including; pacemakers, implantable defribulators and some hearing aids, it is said that they can affect the way they work. Other health effects: Scientists reported other health effects such as changes in brain activity and sleep patterns. However these affects are minor and don’t seem to have any health significance. Although a lot of studies say there are health risks using mobile phones, some studies clear them. In 2006 the Danish Epidemiology found no evidence that use of mobile phones was linked to cancer. The UK did a major study in 2000 it confirmed there was no __firm__ evidence of health risks. It did however advise young children not to use them regularly and for adults not to use them for long periods of time. =Mobile phones Radio Waves = Radio waves are placed on the extreme right of the electromagnetic spectrum. They have the longest wave length, highest frequency and are least energetic.