An Application of Problem-Solving Methods: Bribery/Acceptance of Gifts
The biological effects of rf energy have been studied for many years. Some of the early studies go back to the 1940s. What types of studies related to exposure to rf radiation have been performed? Typically, these were epidemiological stud- ies and were retrospective looks at people who have used cell phones. The goal of these studies was to try to determine the levels of exposure to rf radiation from cell phones of every person in the study and to try to correlate the levels with subsequent health effects, especially cancers. While the studies all generally indicated that there is no harm in cell phone use, problems remain. Many of the problems are due to the fact that the studies relied on self-reporting of cell phone use. They asked people to report how much time they spent talking on their phones. Many people reported their phone use accurately, but many others either didn’t really know how much they used their phones or misestimated their use. Epidemiological studies are also diffi cult to analyze, since it is hard to know the power levels each individual has been exposed to. The power emitted by the phone depends on what model of phone you use and how far you are from the base station while talking. Also, brain cancers generally take a long time to develop. There may not have been enough time since the widespread use of cell phones for a signifi cant number of cancers to have developed. Solid links between cell phone use and brain cancers might not show up for another 10 to 20 years.