Safe & Sound

Health conscious Indian mobile users can rejoice. RF radiations from cellular towers and mobile phones do not create any adverse effect on the human body, according to the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and WHO.

The recent announcement will put an end to many misconceptions and apprehensions with regard to the radiation from cell phones and base stations in India. The recent ICNIRP review papers and WHO fact sheets say that there is no evidence of health hazards from mobile phones. The review papers and fact sheets focused on addressing epidemiological evidence related to mobile phones and reviewing evidence for the full radio frequency spectrum, respectively.

Last year the Indian government decided to follow the ICNIRP guidelines to ensure that the level of emission does not exceed in relation to public exposure to electromagnetic waves from mobile phones and base stations. The DoT has decided to follow the self-certification models, where mobile manufacturers, as well as the service operator have to specify the level of radiation.

It was believed that human head absorbs parts of radio waves emitted by cell phone. There is a growing concern in the Indian public around this, especially in the absence of any conclusive study.

The ICNIRP RF review and epidemiological evidence addresses the current scientific evidence concerning exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields and the resulting consequences for health. According to Epidemiological evidence report, “Overall the studies published to date do not demonstrate an increased risk within 10 year of use of mobile for any tumor. The available data do not suggest a casual association between mobile phone use and fast growing tumors.”

According to the second report RF review prepared as an input to the WHO EMF projects, a wide range of subjective symptoms including headache and migraine have been attributed to various RF sources both at home and work. However, the evidence from the provocation studies suggests that the reported symptoms are not casually related to EMF exposure.

Though there are several reports available which claim that mobile phone posses possible threats for the human body and radiations emitted by mobile phone effects living tissue and is harmful for human brain. But this announcement made by ICNIRP has come as a big relief for the operators, manufacturers as well as new technologies like Wi-Fi, WiMax which might further increase the risk of mobile radiation.

arpitap@cybermedia.co.in