by Vincent J.D. Grant

Created on: November 27, 2007

Cell phones have become an important part of our lives for most of us. As a communication tool, we are able to connect with our human environment which in this case means fellow human beings of course. Yet so busy with our daily lives do we stop to consider the effects our cell phones have on the environment both in its creation, usage and disposal at the end of its useful life?

It has been noted that cell phones and its component parts contain some toxic chemicals like lead and mercury. Lead and mercury in high enough quantities can have detrimental effects on our bodies including severe allergic reactions to kidney failure and even death. It is then highly possible that these chemicals would also have detrimental effects on other creatures in our environment including our pets. This should force us to think quite carefully about both our habits when purchasing cell phones, our usage of cell phones as well as how we dispose of them when they have lived their useful life.

Our usage of cell phones may have yet another impact on our environment. Consider our usage of cell phones at almost every conceivable moment. This surely poses risks to both ourselves when we are concentrating on communicating whilst neglecting our surroundings as well as other human beings and creatures in our environment. Using a cell phone while driving for instance can impose an impact on our human environment. Whilst using the cell phone we can cause accidents.

It may be just my imagination but it is possible that some creatures are affected by the signals our cell phones use to enable communication between us. It is a very interesting area of thought and i guess one worthy of investigation. For instance are migrating birds affected or even confused if there are a multitude of cell phone signals affecting their senses? I certainly hope not, but with increasing cell phone usage the chances are greater that some creatures may be affected. Who knows how many other creatures are affected by cell phone signals?

Another area of concern is the amount of time we are spending using cell phones from texting to talking to all manner of services. I am sure this impacts our human environment. We may neglect our families and the people who really matter to us. We may also neglect our responsibilities including spending time with our pets. If we are spending way too much time on our cell phones, do we have time to take care of our bodies and ensure we get enough exercise? In this way our cell phone usage can impact on our environment in a broader sense of the term.

Cell phone usage has many possible impacts on our environment. It can affect both our natural as well as human environment. It is surely a matter of concern and worth our while considering ways in which cell phones may be made more environmentally friendly. We may end up being healthier, happier and more productive for the effort.

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