"One of the best definitions of concentration is, "wherever you are, be there."

"As the number of students using cellular phones in school has grown, situations have arisen when I had to stop a student from using his/her device in class. In those moments, I had to stop teaching and helping other students and instead deal with the cellphone use. Despite the TDSB ban on the use of cellphones in schools, some students continued using their devices at lunch time, before class, and between classes.

"In spring 2011, TDSB Trustees voted to lift the ban on cellphone use. This came to a vote as a result of a proposal made by two Student Trustees and, surprisingly, without consultation with teachers even though teachers would be subject to direct consequences from this decision.

"Allowing young students to use cellphones at any time--especially in school--not only causes many unnecessary environmental and health hazards but also encourages and increases inappropriate moral, ethical and social behaviours in school settings (and elsewhere).

"Since September 2011, as the result of the new cellphone policy, and despite administration's clear message of not using the device without the teacher's permission, and despite several big signs reminding students to turn off their cellphones prior to entering the class, my classes are disrupted at least once each day because a student is texting. This causes extra work and additional classroom management issues for me . . .

Editor's Note: Acoustic neuromas are non-cancerous tumors found in the brain and are accompanied by hearing loss and tinnitus. You can read more about the nature of Acoustic Neuromas in our Tinnitus Information Center.

"There has been a good deal of discussion in scientific circles recently over the concern that radio-frequency (RF) radiation, from cell phone usage, may cause damage to the human brain in the form of an acoustic neuroma.

"The incidence of acoustic neuroma among tinnitus patients is approximately one in one thousand individuals as opposed to one in one hundred thousand in the general population. This is the reason many ENT physicians require an MRI of their tinnitus patients; to rule out the possibility of acoustic neuroma.

"One of the primary symptoms is hearing loss and tinnitus, usually occurring in only one ear. Acoustic neuromas are rare, non-malignant growths that occur on the auditory nerve leading from the cochlea to the brain. They are slow growing, developing over many years, and are not cancerous. They do not spread but continue growing from the point where they begin.

"They can be very dangerous, however, if left undiagnosed. As they grow they may begin to press against the brain, causing pressure on the brainstem and endangering vital functions necessary to life . . .

"To be sure, there are clinical studies that show cell phones do not cause acoustic neuroma or other brain tumors. However, the majority of these studies were conducted on users of less than ten years . . .

"Those at highest risk of suffering long-term consequences are children, who are now beginning to use cell phones at 8 to 10 years old . . .

"According to SodaHead.com, a discussion community with more than 10 million visitors a month, cellphones and iPads rank as the most-wanted items among youngsters, with 65% placing these devices at the top of their wish lists. Parents planning to succumb to the lobbying and get their kids the latest electronic gadgets would do well to ponder experts' warnings before buying them . . ."

"Tumours in brain and nervous system are increasing in Denmark according to the latest report from Danish Cancer Registry. The increase is seen both in men and women. Among men the number of brain tumours have increased by 40% between 2001 and 2010 (per 100 000 inhabitants, age standardised) and among women by 29%..."

What are the potential health issues associated with cellular telephone use? Whether it's the increased use of cell phones by children, or the overall increase in cell phone use by adults, human exposure to electromagnetic radiation is happening in ways never dreamed of before. Very young children are using them, teenagers live on them--and some even sleep with them on their pillows, as cell phones are often used as alarm clocks...

Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) today released a new report calling for tougher standards to regulate cellular technologies--especially for children and pregnant women. North Haven, Conn. (PRWEB) February 01, 2012

-- Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) is releasing a new report calling for tougher standards to regulate cellular technologies--especially for children and pregnant women. This report is the first part of a project researching the health effects of cell phone use. EHHI has reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed studies that have examined the potential health threats associated with cellular device use, along with the regulatory standards that have been adopted by the U.S. and other nations. This report provides the context for the second section of the project: an animal study designed to investigate the health effects on offspring of cell phone exposures during pregnancy...

"...Research in Chandigarh, India, revealed that people who talk on a cell phone for more than an hour a day were found to have suffered losses of high-frequency hearing..."

"Over 5 billion people worldwide, about 80 percent of the world's population, now has a cell phone.

"In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines maximum allowed exposures from cell phone radiation, a determination that has the potential to impact public health on a massive scale, especially in light of increasing evidence that exposure to such radiation may cause cancer, brain changes and other health problems.

"That the FCC is in charge of this regulation is in and of itself perplexing, considering the FCC states: " ... the FCC's primary jurisdiction does not lie in the health and safety area, and it must rely on other agencies and organizations for guidance in these matters."

"Well, according to a new report by Om Gandhi, PhD, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah and colleagues, "Exposure Limits: The Underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children," the FCC standards are based on a one-size-fits-all-model that seriously underestimates RF exposures to those most vulnerable, including children...."

The existing cell phone certification process uses a plastic model of the head called the Specific Anthropomorphic Mannequin (SAM), representing the top 10% of U.S. military recruits in 1989 and greatly underestimating the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) for typical mobile phone users, especially children.Radiofrequency (RF) exposure to a head smaller than SAM will absorb a relatively higher SAR....Accordingly, contemporary cell phone standards for all of the world's more than five billion cell phones do not protect the young or the 97% of the population with heads smaller than SAM...