With the advent of wireless communication, the world has adopted many forms of technology starting with the very first commercial mobile phone in the world – the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. Ever since then, the world has seemingly become smaller and ever more connected.
Though mobile phones are a boon, the technology behind them is mired in controversy. The underlying theory is that all electronics give out some or the other forms of radiation. Studies have implied that these forms of radiation may increase the risk of cancer, but the supporting evidence is inconclusive.
But first, we need to understand what are the two major types of radiation and how they affect the human body:
Ionizing radiations, such as gamma rays and X-rays are powerful enough to decimate the human body. These radiations alter or completely destroy the DNA. This causes damage to the cells and greatly increases the risk of cancer. Hence, ionizing radiation is obviously bad for living tissue.
Non-ionizing radiation, on the other hand, is relatively harmless. But they do cause localized heating over a prolonged period of time. Moreover, this type of radiation can penetrate the skin but do not travel deep. However, if exposed to the eyes, it may cause some damage as they are more sensitive. This is the type of radiation that is emitted by most of our electronics and appliances.
As stated above, mobile phones emit non-ionizing radiation but these have never been documented to cause mutagenic changes. Mutagenic changes include alterations to the genetic material (DNA) and this is what causes various ill-effects in organisms. However, it does cause the tissues to heat up if subjected to long hours of exposure. In severe cases, it can cause burns too.
Current studies are rather limited in their scope and technological hurdles do hinder progress. Hence, we can conclude that non-ionizing radiation is relatively harmless when compared to ionizing radiation. However, prolonged exposure can cause some noticeable effects.
Download BYJU’S-The Learning App for all your learning needs. It is one of the best Tech-based apps in the industry, encompassing many fascinating topics and videos and also you can learn more about various things like the human heart, biomolecules, cell structure and many more.
Nikhil Narkhede
Latest posts by Nikhil Narkhede (see all)
- Blockchain What Is It? A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Technology - October 11, 2025
- Jackery HomePower 3000 Portable Power Station Review - October 10, 2025
- How to Find YouTube Content Ideas and Draft Scripts Fast with My Go-To Tool - October 9, 2025
I prefer using headphones rather than using earpiece for long time. This has helped me to be away from the harmful radiation.
That’s true preferring headphones than normal earpiece of the phone is better for sure. Doing great task. You can check the best earbuds here.
I have enrolled to Byju for my son, very interesting videos. They teach the concepts in very interactive manner
Glad to know about your experience with Byju. They are doing really good work into online education space.