4. Image: Marsmettn Tallahassee (via Flickr)
A number of new
physical and mental
health concerns have
surfaced over the last
few years… Health
concerns which are
directly related to the
use of some of our
favourite tech devices
6. Image: Lar (via Flickr)
ELECTROPOLLUTION
Electropollution introduces
biologically toxic electrical
frequencies into the
environment.
These frequencies, called
electromagnetic frequencies or
EMFs, interfere with the
chemistry of the human body.
EMF exposure has been linked
to serious health issues like
Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s
disease, cardiovascular
disease, infertility, insomnia,
cancer…. And the list goes on…
7. Image: Gunes T (via Flickr)
WI-FI
Wireless Internet routers or Wi-Fi
modems use electromagnetic radiation to
send their signals to your device. This
level of radiation is considered by
scientists and health experts as
potentially dangerous.
8. In fact,
the typical home or office wireless
networks transmit
radio signals in the same general
frequency range
that microwaves use to cook food1
Image: prupert (via Flickr)
9. The explosion of iPhones,
Blackberries, WiFi, and even
remote-control toys has
fundamentally changed our
electrical environment. You
can’t see it, you can’t taste it,
you can’t touch it; but the air
all around us is increasingly
filled with electromagnetic
radiation that is penetrating
our bodies and disrupting our
body chemistry –
perhaps forever.2
Image: Stuart Anthony (via Flickr)
10. Image: Benjamin Deutsch (via Flickr)
Cell phones,
laptops and
tablets
all emit Radio
Frequency
(RF)
radiation
emissions
11. Image: Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones (via Flickr)
As long as your cell
phone is on, it emits
radiation
intermittently, even
when you’re not
actually making a call.
Keeping a cell phone in
your pocket, wearing it
on a belt clip, or just
having it on your
person, is giving that
area of your body
nearly continuous
radiation exposure.
12. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
HAS CLASSIFIED CELL PHONE
RADIATION AS A CLASS B
CARCINOGEN
Image: Kohei314 (via Flickr)
13. Studies have determined that reproductive health is
affected by cell phone radiation… and the same goes
for laptops. Researchers in Argentina conducted a
study to look at how holding a laptop on the lap (i.e.
near the reproductive organs) affects sperm. Their
results showed damage to the DNA of sperm cells,
suggesting the harmful nature of laptop radiation on
male reproductive capacity.3
Image: Place / Getty
14. According to researchers from
the Yale School of Medicine,
cell phone radiation exposure
during pregnancy impacts fetal
brain development and may
cause hyperactivity.
Image: Paul Fitzgerald (via Flickr)
15. The Swedish National Institute for Working Life found that people
using cell phones for 2,000 hours - a total most of us could easily
rack up over the years - had a 240 percent increased risk for
malignant brain tumors on the side of the head where they usually
held their phone.4
16. Kids absorb 50 percent more electropollution than adults. One study
finds that a cell phone call lasting only two minutes can cause brain
hyperactivity that lasts up to an hour in children. Because their skulls
are smaller and thinner than adults, EMFs penetrate much deeper into
children's brains.5
Image: Paul Fitzgerald (via Flickr)
17. Research shows that radiation from cell phones and Wi-Fi has been
linked to diminished reaction time in children, decreased motor
function, increased distraction, hyperactivity and inability to
focus on complex and long-term tasks.6
18. Image: Stefan Klauke (via Flickr)
There are also a number of physical ailments
and mental health issues newly associated
with the use of modern technology…
19. Image: Kamyar Adl (via Flickr)
We’ve long heard of
prolonged use of
computer keyboards
and mouses
contributing to carpal
tunnel syndrome,
but how about
TEXT NECK?
Considered an
“overuse syndrome”,
text neck results from
excessive strain on
the spine from looking
in a downward
position at hand held
devices such as cell
phones and tablets.
20. Image: Attila Acs (via Flickr)
COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME (CVS) describes a series of eye
and vision related problems that occur with prolonged
computer use. The most common symptoms associated with
CVS are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision & dry eyes.
21. Image:RobMurray
Many mental health
issues have been linked
to prolonged use of
technology.
Researchers at
Michigan State
University found that
using multiple forms of
media at the same time
(such as texting while
surfing the web) may be
linked to symptoms of
anxiety and
depression. Social
media has also been
linked to higher rates of
stress, depression,
anxiety, neuroticism,
and loneliness among
its users. Media use has
also been linked to
insomnia and
addiction.
22. Another newly coined condition is
CYBERCHONDRIA
It is a specific form of nosophobia
(fear of having a disease) which
develops when the sufferer
researches a disease on the internet,
and then imagines that they have
the symptoms of the disease(s). It
can contribute to high levels of stress
and anxiety.
Image: Juhan Sonin (via Flickr)
23. Image: Jason Weaver (via Flickr)
And then there’s the dangerous ways we let
technology distract us…
•In 2011, at least 23% of
US auto collisions
involved cell phones-
that’s 1.3 million
crashes!
•34% of Americans admit
to texting while driving
•52% admit to talking on
a cell phone while driving
•1 in 5 drivers confess to
surfing the web while
driving7
24. Image: Marsmettn Tallahassee (via Flickr)
But there are ways to protect yourself…..
•Text, don’t talk whenever possible
•Use speaker mode to keep your
phone as far away from your head as
possible
•Turn off your cell when you’re not
using it and shut off your wireless
router at night
•Don’t carry your cell in your pocket
or cradle your laptop in your lap
•Avoid using your cell in tight spaces
(buses, elevators, trains) where it
has to work harder to get a signal out
through metal
•Buy a phone with a low SAR (specific
absorption rate) number
•Keep your distance! Wi-Fi radiation
drops off significantly with distance
•Try to limit your media use and take
a break if you begin to feel discomfort
•Never text/talk/surf while driving!
25. Image: Barry Kuts (via Flickr)
WORKS CITED:
1) ELECTROPOLLUTION AND THE DECLINE IN HEALTH OF A NATION
http://www.justproveit.net/content/electropollution-and-decline-health-
nation
2)WI-FI HEALTH DANGERS & RADIATION HEALTH EFFECTS
http://www.safespaceprotection.com/electrostress-from-wireless-
routers.aspx
3) LAPTOP RADIATION & YOUR SPERM
http://www.electricsense.com/940/laptop-radiation-and-your-sperm
4 & 5) ARE CELL PHONES & WI-FI HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/cell-phone-and-wifi-
dange_b_758167.html
6) CHILDREN’S HEALTH EXPERT PANEL: CELL PHONES & WI-FI- ARE
CHILDREN, FETUSES & FERTILITY AT RISK?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/21/cell-phone-
wifi-radiation.aspx
7) TEXTING & DRIVING STATISTICS
http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/
