The result of a recent study has suggested that wearables are leading people to make uninformed choices.
An American scientist, Dr. Devra Davis, has now released a report that has recommended that consumers may not want to continue habits of storing a mobile phone in a pocket as the radiation from the device may put their health at risk.
The truth of the matter is that it is not known, for a fact, whether mobile technology causes harm or not.
The majority of studies on the health risks of using a mobile phone have had to do with holding a device up against the head. Therefore, they would be considering relatively limited lengths of time, as these devices are held up to the head only when using a calling feature. However, only a smaller number of studies have been looking into the impact on the body from keeping smartphone in a pocket. When the device is tucked in a pocket, it may not be up against the head where it can affect the brain but it might be exposing any number of other body parts to electromagnetic radiation.
Dr. Davis spoke at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science about mobile phones.
At one of those talks, she spoke of the increasing trend of carrying mobile devices in pockets, bras and even headbands, which has increased the exposure to electromagnetic radiation beyond what the majority of studies have examined. As a result, she has cautioned consumers to learn more about smartphone radiation and its impact on the body before they decide to store it against the same part of the body every day for hours at a time.
She pointed out that radiation exposure can be associated with certain negative health risks such as a change in the metabolism of the brain as well as impotence in males. There is also a growing body of evidence suggesting that radiation from smartphones could have an impact on heart diseases, diabetes or even depression in humans. Placing a smartphone in a pants pocket may even have various types of impact on the pelvic area, such as changing bone density there.
Davis indicated that device users should consult the manuals for their smartphones to learn about the types of radiation produced by their own device models and then to find out more about the impact of that specific kind of radiation on the body. It is true that many of the risks have not been conclusively proven but neither has the safety of storing mobile phones in this way. Therefore, the recommendation is being made to err to the side of safety instead of being the guinea pig that allows science to prove that storing smartphones in a pocket is, indeed, damaging to human health.
Senior citizens who use these devices regularly can delay what could otherwise be cognitive decline.
Among the greatest fears that people face when it comes to aging is that their mental abilities will decline, but if the findings of a recent study are true, then it could be that the regular use of PCs and mobile technology could help to slow that process in a highly meaningful way.
Cognitive and mental decline were found to have been delayed in users of smartphones and computers.
The study was published in the respected medical journal, Intelligence, in which it was described that the use of computers and mobile technology could help to explain why today’s seniors seem to be four to eight years younger (on a cognitive level) than people of the same age a decade ago. The study showed that the positive impact of these computing devices held up, even when controlling for certain factors such as health, gender, and education.
The mobile technology study was conducted on participants in the U.K. and Germany who were 50 years and older.
There were about 2,000 participants in the study who were tested back in 2006. Then another group of 3,000 were tested in 2012. The conclusions were drawn by Valeria Bordone and her team at the International Institute for Applied Systems analysis.
According to Bordone, “We know that IQ (intelligence quotient) has been increasing for many decades.” The trend of continual increases in IQ is known as the Flynn effect, and it has been observed since the 1930s. The way in which it has been explained is that throughout this period of time, there has been a worldwide improvement to access to nutrition, healthcare, and education for the population as a whole. Despite the fact that these improvements have been subtle from one year to the next, they have given people the ability to access more mentally stimulating activities and to better their cognitive abilities. The outcome has been higher IQ test scores.
That said, Bordone explained that IQ is considered to be a very limited way of measuring cognitive skills, so this study involved a broader range of testing, to achieve greater accuracy. The link between the use of computers and mobile technology and the slowing in cognitive decline among seniors was shown by correlation in Bordone’s study, as opposed to being directly demonstrated.
