Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,

I am trying to complete my science fair project in the summer- I will be in eighth grade in the fall. My science question consists of measuring the intensity of the electromangetic radiation produced by cellphones in correspondance to the decibel levels and frequency levels heard through the phone.

I have begun my research and know the basic concepts of cellphone electromagnetic radiation (i.e. There is near-field electromagnetic radiation, and far-field electromagnetic radiation. With cellphones, we are affected primarily by the near-field radiation, unless we use wireless headsets-in which case far-field is more so the concern. Near-field electromagnetic waves register as invaders when radiating into our bodies, thus the body sets up protective methods. So, cellular energy is used for protection instead of it's normal functions, and the cell membranes begin to harden which keeps nutrients out and waste in).

However, I have a question as to the testing methods I could use with this project. I have found out that gauss meters can measure the electromagnetic radiation levels, and am wondering where they could be obtained, or if there are any other (possibly better) options to have for testing in this project. Also, during testing, would computers, TVs, etc. disturb the electromagnetic radiation testing from the cellphones considering they also produce EMR? If so, where would it be best to test?

Lastly, while researching, I came across an experiment scientists had done to test the dangers of cellphone EMR. They exposed human blood and lymph tissue to cellphones for different times, and the result was that micronuclei began to form- which is linked to radiation. Would I be able to include this in my project? For example, exposing human blood and/or lymph tissue in petri dishes and test tubes to different company cellphones for different times with different frequency sine waves and decibel levels being produced through the phones, and then seeing which groups had the most micronuclei? Or would that be too many changing variables?

Thank you in advance for the assistance.

-fireworksfrommars156

Hi fireworksfrommars156,
Welcome to the Ask an Expert forums. Sorry for the delay in answering your questions.
First off, I would advise that the science of health effects of mobile phone radiation on humans is fairly controversial and not well established. As you have commented, there are various ideas floating around about how mobile phone radiation might affect the human body. But beware - much of this information is based on theory and opinion with very little if any science to back it up. That does not mean that the information is necessarily incorrect, but it makes the source unreliable as a basis to develop a science fair project. More information on this topic is available here:
http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... tion.shtml

I would recommend reading this page, which has a relatively well balanced presentation of possible effects of mobile phone radiation and also has an extensive list of references for further reading.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_pho ... and_health
Take particular notice of the section on "risks":

Many scientific studies have investigated possible health effects of mobile phone radiations. These studies are occasionally reviewed by some scientific committees to assess overall risks. The most recent assessment was published in 2007 by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). It concludes from the available research that no significant health effect has been demonstrated from mobile phone radiation at normal exposure levels:
* Normal exposure to mobile phone radiation cannot cause headaches or dizziness, nor can it cause brain cancers, neurological effects or reproductive effects.
* A few inconclusive studies suggest that it may cause a benign tumour of the auditory nerve.
* However, more studies concerning potential health effects on children are needed.

Here is one of our projects describing how to build your own gaussmeter:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p030.shtml

I believe this is the author of the study on mobile phone radiation and formation of micronuclei
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlo
I suspect that your ideas for experiments along these lines would be very difficult for an 8th grade science fair project. Hopefully a biologist will be able to assist more with this question.

Just to add to Chris's great response, I want to point out that you would need a mentor in order to study human tissue (and even then, I'm not sure you would get permission--it would depend on your science fair rules). I believe there are many other ways to test for mutagenesis, though; you might try exposing fruit flies to cell phone radiation and looking for mutations, for example. Regardless, if you want to work on animals there are potentially many extra forms that need to be filled out, so you need to get in touch with someone from the science fair and/or a teacher if you plan to do something like this.