Despite their usefulness, cellular phones get a lot of negative press. Excessive and improper cell phone use accounts for hundreds of thousands of injuries and deaths around the world every year. A recent study showed that a coordinated 20 year-old on a cell phone has the same reaction time as that of a 70 year old. This waned concentration can lead to many dangerous situations. And while most of us have made it this far without the need of protective shoulder pads or helmets, the risk of cell phone injury still exists. The following is a list of cell phone injuries, ordered in their likeliness to occur, from most to least.
1. Bumping Into Inanimate Objects
Injuries from simply walking into inanimate objects are steadily rising along with the rise in cell phone use. It’s not uncommon for people to admit themselves in hospitals with lacerations and bruising as a result of walking blindly into signs, lamp posts etc.
2. Falling
While inanimate object bumping accounts for a large chunk of cell phone related injuries, falls also contribute their share. Cell phone users falling down stairs is not only very dangerous, but damn embarrassing too. The most recently publicized incident of this was when Valerie Jarrett, one of President Barrack Obama’s political aids, stepped off a curb while using her Blackberry and severely twisted her ankle.
3. Walking into traffic
There’s been a sharp rise in incidents of people walking into traffic, as oblivious texters step off of sidewalks and cross streets during red lights.
4. Road Accidents
At this point everyone knows driving and talking on a cell phone is bad. Across North America, most states and provinces have made talking on a cell phone against the law. The result of transgression? A hefty fine.
5. Battery Explosion
Exploding batteries are probably the least publicized of all cell phone related injuries but there are quite a few instances of serious injury and one recorded death.
6. Carpal Tunnel
Teens have been carted to hospitals in the thousands with hand and wrist problems as a result of excessive text messaging or SMS. Blackberry users are some of the biggest abusers of cell phones which has lead to an increase in cell phone-related Carpel Tunnel syndrome.
7. Cell phone up your bottom
In the real world, this is probably the most unlikely way to injure oneself with a cell phone…But in the prison world, this is actually a fairly common occurrence. Prisoners are often caught with various items in their… umm ‘puckered starfish.’ Cell phones are banned in prison and inmates are forced to… uhhh force cell phones in places where only boarder guards dare to probe.
8. Swallowing a cell phone
Technically, the only incident on record wasn’t of someone swallowing a cell phone of their own accord, but in fact having one shoved down her throat by her angry boyfriend (assuming now ex-boyfriend).
9. Cancer
The media has been talking about cell phones causing brain cancer ever since their inception. In terms of likeliness of occurrence however, this ranks as the lowest. There is still no solid evidence to support this claim.
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