Are electronic devices bad for our health?
As we use and grow more dependent on electronic devices, concern arises about what effect these electronic devices have on human health. Many of us are in daily contact with computers, radios, mobile cell phones, televisions, and microwave ovens. All these devices emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which are generated via oscillating currents. In a typical home, the EMFs can range from 0 to 5 milliwatts per meter squared.
Various effects on human behavior have been reported following exposure to EMFs. For example, in transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, magnetic currents are used to generate electrical currents within the brain. This stimulation leads to changes in patterns of neural activation due to the currents depolarizing the neurons; in essence, the magnetic fields are altering the information content of the neurons.
In 1996, The World Health Organization established the International EMF Project to ascertain any link between human health and EMFs ranging from 0-300 GHz, which is the range of operation for most electrical devices. Scientific evidence has been analyzed, and so far the results are contradictory as to whether EMFs harm or otherwise affect human health. For example, some studies suggest that magnetic fields can alter human balance, pain perception, and bipolar behavior; however, the studies lack reproducibility. When attempts were made to find a link between mobile phone use and headaches, Alzheimer's disease, or brain tumors, these experiments again came up inconclusive.
Nevertheless, some national advisory committees, such as those of Austria, France, Germany, and Sweden, have recommended that their citizens minimize exposure to EMFs. The recommendations have included using hands-free mobile phones to decrease exposure of the head to EMFs, keeping the mobile phone away from the body, and not using a telephone in a car without an external antenna.