Cellphone operators have
long denied their transmitting towers atop buildings or on highways have any
adverse bearing on the health of humans or animals, despite several studies
across the world concluding the contrary. Now a report for the Department of
Telecommunication by a faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Powai,
reinforces what scientists have long held : that areas around cellphone towers
are high-radiation and consequently high-risk zones. Moreover, it recommends
that India, which has very ‘relaxed radiation norms’, must raise the safety bar.
Girish Kumar, professor,
electrical engineering department of the Powai institute, said : “These towers
transmit radiation 24×7, so people living nearby will receive 10,000 to
10,000,000 times stronger signal than required for mobile communication. In
India, crores of people reside in these high radiation zones.”
Kumar noted that the cell
phone industry was becoming “another cigarette industry, which for long kept
claiming smoking is not harmful. In fact, cellphone/tower radiation is worse
than smoking as one cannot see it or smell it, and its effect on health is noted
after a long period of exposure. Unfortunately, all of us are absorbing this
slow poison unknowingly.”
Use of mobile phones for
more than years poses a risk of brain cancer. Children and teenagers are five
times more susceptible as their brain is not fully developed and radiation
penetration is much deeper.
(2)
Infertility :
Studies confirm cell phone
radiation can drastically affect male fertility. Studies have found 30% sperm
decrease in intensive mobile phone users, in addition to damage of sperms.
(3)
Neurodegenerative diseases :
People living near mobile
phone base stations are also at risk of developing neuropsychiatric problems
as headache, memory loss, nausea, dizziness, tremors, muscle spasms, numbness,
tingling, altered reflexes, muscle and joint paint, leg/foot pain, depression,
and sleep disturbance. More severe reactions include seizures, paralysis,
psychosis and stroke.
(4)
Skin damage :
Radiation from cell towers
and mobile phones affects human skin. It can result in an increase in mast
cells, leading to the clinical symptoms of itch, pain, edema and erythema. It
also may be instrumental in higher concentration of the transtyretin protein,
which has an important role in causing nerves diseases like Alzheimers.
(5)
Interference with other gadgets :
Radio frequency exposure
from cellular phone base antennas and mobiles can affect patients with
pacemakers, implantable cardiovascular defibrillators and impulse generators.
(6)
Melatonin reduction :
Melatonin, a vital
neurohormone, regulates our circadian rhythm. Studies with animals show a
reduction in melatonin levels following radio frequency radiation exposure
from cell phones and cell towers. Turning off transmitters resulted in a
significant increased melatonin levels within few days.
(7)
Ear & eye damage :
Radiation emitted by
mobiles may damage the delicate workings of the inner ear, and long-term and
intensive use for more than four years and for longer than 30 minutes a day
creates high risk of irreversible hearing loss. Frequent use of mobiles can
also damage the visual system.
(8)
Sleep disorders :
Use of handsets before
going to bed delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches, confusion and
depression. The findings are especially alarming for children and teenagers as
they use cell phones at night and keep the phone next to their head, it may
lead to mood and personality changes, depression, lack of concentration and
poor academic performance.
(Source : The Times of
India, dated 7-12-2010)
