Cell phones can be double-edged tools

On the shoulder of Interstate 15, you spot a totaled car. You get closer. It looks like your best friend's.

You dial your cell phone. Your best friend answers hers. She was not in the accident.

The cell phone enhances our quality of life in a way that the "Star Trek" communicator only hinted at 44 years ago. Not even just a phone anymore, it's global-positioning for parents wondering where their child is. It's a text from a co-worker during a meeting that provides information you need during that meeting. It's the entire Internet wherever you go.

But what price are we paying -- besides $100 or more per month? What follows are some ways the cell phone does not enhance our quality of life.

INCREASED DRIVING RISK

There is a disturbing chance that the driver of that totaled car you saw was using his or her cell phone behind the wheel. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 500,000 people were injured and nearly 6,000 killed last year in accidents caused by a driver either texting or talking on a cell.

A 2008 study by Nationwide Insurance found that four of five cell-phone owners talked on them while driving, and a University of Utah study published in 2006 found that this impaired driving by the same amount as alcohol.

"We urge everybody to pull over and make a call if you have to," said Michael Geeser, spokesman for AAA Nevada.

Contrary to the logic of laws passed by six states limiting vehicular cell use to hands-free kits, they probably don't solve the problem. Geeser said the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that the distraction imparted by cell phones is similar whether they're in car kits or ears.

"It's the conversation that distracts the driver, not the device," he said.

INCREASED RADIATION EXPOSURE?

The National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization both deny a causal link between cancer and the low-level radio-frequency radiation emitted by cell phones. However, several independent studies have shown a negative biological effect, according to an analysis published by the University of Washington.

"The risk for each use is minimal," said Dr. Stephen Miller of the valley's Internal Medicine Associates, "but the concern is that it's a cumulative thing over the years, and that in a certain individual, repeated exposure could produce genetic damage that might produce abnormal cells leading to cancer."

According to Miller, the causal relationship suggested by the studies is debatable, because brain cancer usually takes several decades to develop and cell phones weren't in wide use before 1995. (Other, even more controversial, studies link cell-phone radiation to male infertility and sleep problems.)

"I think we'll have an answer in twenty years," Miller said. "So in the interim, it's best to err on the side of caution and try to minimize exposure."

When a cell phone is nessary, Miller advised, it should be distanced from your body using the speaker or headphone functions.

INCREASED STRESS

According to a 2008 survey by Nationwide Insurance, nearly two-thirds of cell-phone owners said their bosses, friends and family members expect them to be available by cell phone or other electronic communication devices at all times.

"There's no hiding anymore," Miller said. "If you answer your cell phone, it creates stress, and if you don't, it creates stress because someone else is worried that something is wrong."

According to Miller, this 24/7 tether is a killer. Back when a saber-tooth tiger approached, the "fight or flight" response was a useful way of decreasing one's 40-yard dash time. However, it does only bad things to a person trapped inside a car, getting questioned by a supervisor about a work-related oversight.

"Adrenaline and cortisol are released in the panic state," Miller said. "That's how your body reacts to stress. And these hormones increase inflammation, which puts wear and tear on the system."

Chronic inflammation caused by stress hormones, according to Miller, is known to cause cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.

EROSION OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

The ease of communication provided by cell phones may actually diminish communication skills.

"Most of communication is nonverbal," said Las Vegas psychologist Dr. David Gosse, who suspects that heavy users deprive themselves of the necessary exercise employing body language, facial expression and -- in the case of text addicts -- even tone of voice.

In addition, Gosse said, some cell-phone owners use their devices because of social phobias that need to be addressed, not rewarded.

"Especially for text messaging," he said, "which is often used to discuss things that need to be talked about face-to-face."

Las Vegas psychologist Barbara Parry added that cell phones can even help kill relationships.

"When you go home, you need to be able to put the people you love first and to treat them with love," she said. "I don't think people can do that when they're lost in the BlackBerrys."

Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0456.