There’s a reason why Microwave ovens are called so- they cook food by heating it up using ‘microwave’ radiations which are basically electromagnetic radiations. Wait, don’t mobile-phones emit such radiations too? Yes they do. In fact, when we talk on mobiles, our voice is carried on these very same radiations. Does that mean being exposed to these radiations can “cook us” too? Literally, yes- 20min of talking with the mobile close to your ears increases your ear-lobe temperature by 1degree Celsius. Looks like now there’s Global warming in our ears. But it’s not just this thermal effect that is worrisome. It’s the non-thermal effects of these mobile radiations that can potentially cause cancers or brain tumors…

Consider this a Columbian doctor lives in a faraday cage at his home to protect himself from cellphone radiation and thinks that “an international genocide is being sponsored from within the World Health Organisation who act as lackeys in order to protect vested interests of the cell phone industry, destroying the health and lives of thousands of thousands around the globe”  Have a look:

Like most of you, even I have heard about the damaging effects of use of mobile phones. It’s a topic that’s always been in and out of news. And again the recent news about the topic caught my eye- the Indian government has made it mandatory for manufacturers to show radiation level on the devices. And this led me to another article that covered the story of how two brothers from Jaipur, India, with no history of cancer in their family, were diagnosed with brain cancer. Three cell phone towers stand ominously next to their home. Concerns on dangers posed to passive smokers is well known, now are we looking at the perils of being a passive mobile user? So is mobile phone usage taking us to our graves? Or is it just a baseless brouhaha? After lot of researching across the net, I found some unsettling facts:

1)      You might be right when you say that cell-phones don’t “harm” our brains. But it’s been proventhat cell-phones do “affect”  our brains:

http://nyti.ms/hviSOO

2)      Why do you think the European Council has recommended that mobile phone be banned in classrooms and schools? A 2011 Mobilewise U.K. report clearly shows how children are far more susceptible to damage from cell-phone use than adults.

http://bit.ly/KVxWmT

3)      There are safety standard on the permissible level of cell-phone radiation which varies from country to country. Like for example, India has adopted the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) radiation norms “which are only intended to protect people against short-term gross heating effects and not against ‘biological’ effects such as cancers and genetic damage from long-term exposure,” says Dr Girish Kumar, professor, department of electrical engineering, IIT Bombay. In his 2011 report on the subject, he recommends reduction of the exposure to 450mw/m2 of radiation from the 4500mw/sq that is permitted by ICNIRP. Which means cell-phones could be operable even with ten timesless radiation levels!

http://bit.ly/O8XHVz

A few disturbing results from the proven report by Dr Girish who said “Being exposed to a mobile tower located within 50m of your home or workplace is like being in a microwave oven for 24 hours,”

1. In Sweden, one of the first countries where mobile technology was introduced, Electrohypersensitivity(EHS),  a physiological condition has been recognized by the state and the local government installs, free of cost, metal shielding in the homes of people suffering from EHS.
2. There is 30% sperm decrease in intensive mobile users as well as damage to sperms.
3. Children and teenagers less than 20 years of age are five times more likely to get brain cancer due to use of cell phones.
4. Blackberry phones manuals warn the customers to keep the device “0.98” inches away from body and that it should not be worn or carried on the body.
5. 75% reduction in sparrow population in UK making it a red-list endangered species and disappearance of bees in the US making them “import” bees from Australia and China- both these phenomena are associated with cell-phone radiations.

Something to ponder about…

http://bit.ly/QdfDC3

Many of the reports that deny any links between health hazards and mobile phones are conducted by cell-phone industries. How unbiased can such reports be?

When a network operator promises crystal clear coverage, should we be happy about it or concerned about the possible increased radiation?

What about the health damage being underplayed because cell-phones form a huge and fast-growing industry?

Government has laid down regulations for radiation power levels emitted by cell-phone towers but who monitors them?What about the cases where the power levels are decreased only during inspections?

Widespread use of cell-phone has been around for a little more than a decade as result of which long term use of mobiles cannot be evaluated. Should we wait for such effects to be evident before we come out of denial?

Are we as consumers neglecting these dreadful hazards because we are virtually addicted to cell-phones and the fact is simply an inconvenient truth for us?

To conclude, there’s no point outlining the hazards if there are no safety measure prescribed. So here’s follow up article Dousing the slow roast: 5 basic ways to avoid being mobile radiation guinea pigs 

Reference image: http://bit.ly/NJLjM9

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divya

An Electronics and Telecom engineer, Divya brings in an engineer's perspective to writing. Her tech articles are all about latest technologies and researches and the possibilities they spell for us as the consumers. One who listens more than she talks, Divya feels her writing does the talking. A harry potter fan, she enjoys reading and travelling- monsoon treks being a favorite.

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