Cell phone radiation and other HWCDSB science fair discoveries
Like most kids, Reya Joe has a cellphone.
But after finishing her school science fair project, she might be more careful about how she uses it.
The Grade 8 student from Regina Mundi Catholic Elementary School in Hamilton was one of over 200 students from 25 schools competing in the 40th annual HWCDSB System Science and Engineering Fair, held Saturday at Bishop Ryan Secondary School.
Joe's project, Should We Care About Phone Radiations,' studied the possible health concerns regarding radiation emitted by the device most of us seem to have in our hands all the time.
To measure the radiation, Joe purchased an EMF (electromagnetic fields) meter online. She measured radiation using different parameters, such as Bluetooth, cellular data, or Wi-Fi.
Her results were revealing, and troubling. For example, a cellular phone call exceeded a suggested limit of 10,000 millivolts per metre for a prolonged basis. Her call recorded nearly 30,000 millivolts per metre.
I wasn't expecting that much for a phone call," said Joe. I was also surprised by the difference that mobile data had for Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is significantly lower than mobile data. Its still right at the limit, but still lower by two or three times more," she added.
Joe says she tries to limit her bluetooth usage, using wired headphones instead of wireless. She tries to connect to open Wi-Fi where possible instead of using cellular data, and tries to limit long phone calls.
For Ronan Conroy, a Grade 5 student at St. Ann's Catholic Elementary School in Ancaster, his project brought together technology, and his cat, Anna.
Conroy built a pressure-activated temperature sensor plate. When his cat steps on the plate, it activates the sensor, letting Ronan and his family know if Anna is in her house and if she if warm enough.
Grade 7 students Sharon Andrews and Shiloh Wong from St. Anthony Daniel Catholic Elementary School studied the phenomenon of false memory, sometimes known as The Mandela Effect.'
The girls learned how a woman named Fiona Broome had vivid memories of Nelson Mandela dying in the 1980s, and the events surrounding it. Mandela actually died in 2013. Broome later coined the term The Mandela Effect.' Through their research, Wong and Andrews concluded that it is not uncommon for people to remember details incorrectly.
Barry Gray is a Hamilton-based photojournalist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: bgray@thespec.com