EMF Radiation: Prolonged Use of Cellphones

Raiya Hashmi writes on Chowk

It lies on your bedside table all night and is the first thing you reach for after waking up in the morning. Apart from being a portable communication device, it is your MP3 player, camera, calculator, stop watch, alarm clock; in fact this device has every thing you need encased in its tiny body. Cell phones may have eased our lives considerably but like every modern invention, they come with their own pros and cons.

In March 2009, a research article was published in the journal Pathophysiologybased on the reports of scientists from six different countries who had examined the consequences of cell phone radiation exposure on the human body. It was concluded from findings of the report that our safety measures are inadequate and that we must protect ourselves from exposure to EMF due to cell phones. Dr. Lennart Hardell, an oncologist who worked on the report found that the risk of malignant brain tumor increased for people who began using cell phones before the age of twenty.

In addition to this, prolonged exposure to microwave radiation has been found to be the cause of short term memory and concentration, sleep disruption, headache and dizziness, fatigue, skin rashes and cardiac functions. Doctors have claimed that people are more prone to develop brain tumors on those sides of the head which are around the ear used for cell phone communication.

The sad fact is that the world is divided over the issue. In response to the Pathophysiology report, Health Canada asserted that no substantial amount of evidence exists to support the scientists’ claims. And even renowned organizations like the W.H.O do not count cell phone radiation as a major health risk with the view that EMF radiation of such small amount poses no harm to the living cells.

From the scientific point of view, ample evidence still does not exist to completely prove that it is indeed the radiation from cell phones that is the cause of increase in cancer. It may be hard to believe that the reason for insufficiency in the number of studies related to this very important area may have a more sinister cause than lack of evidence or data. There have been incidents where researchers and scientists have been pressurized into not revealing the results if the connection between cell phone radiation and tumors came out to be positive. 

Dr. Robert Santini a researcher in the field of bioelectromagnetics was forbidden by his director to ever talk about “cellular phone and base station bioeffects” in front of the media. Dr. Lebrecht von Klitzing of Medical University of Lubeck chose to resign from the university when he was forbidden to do any more research on the medical effects of cell phones. Dr Gerald Hyland from the University of Warwick took early retirement in March 2003, following high-level pressures against his research into the biocompatibility of magnetic fields with human organism.

The question arises: Is the truth deliberately being kept away from the public in order to protect the booming cellular industry? As long as no substantial amount of evidence comes our way, we can never be completely sure.

In the meantime, it is important to follow these tips and stay on the safe side:

1. First of all choose a mobile set with the lowest SAR rating possible (SAR= Specific Absorption Rate is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). Search for “SAR ratings of your-specific- cell phone” on the internet to find the rating of the particular set you intend to purchase or own.

2. Try to use messaging mostly when communicating. Make a call using a cell phone only when absolutely necessary and even then keep the duration of the calls minimum.

3. Hold the set at least eight inches away from your head and use the speaker mode when possible.

4. Do not put your phone to the ear until the connection has been established and do not use the same ear for communication every time. 

5. When carrying your phone in your pocket or belt while it is on, position the keypad toward your body and the back towards the outside. This minimizes radiation exposure.

6. Do not use cell phone in enclosed metal spaces such as vehicles or elevators because the metal traps radiation and reflects it back. 

7. Avoid making a call when the signal strength is less as the phone uses more radiation to make a connection in such conditions. 

8. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table. 

9. Do not let your children use cell phones except for emergencies only. The developing parts of the brain are the most susceptible to damage from EMF radiation.

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I think we have become closer to the people who live in far away lands, like I could not have thought of ever meeting or watching my school friends in life again. Facebook and likes have made it possible. I can search the name of my University friends and can find all the outsanding work they are doing anywhere in the world. But the question remains, are we closer to each other than the people of 80′s maybe. People living in the same house at times talk to each other only on the mobile phone let alone sharing some peaceful moments together.

I am comparing today with the time when one household or one neighbourhood used to gather around one tv set for 8 o’clock PTV drama and khabarnama.  Can we extract so much pleasure from watching a simple drama alone in our seperate bed rooms. Ours  houses have TVs in all the rooms plus computers. I think we are missing the happiness they got from each others company.

With our mobile phones ringing all the time, we are not present with the people physically sitting in front of us. Lets try to spend some time with our  family and friends  in a far off village with no mobile phone and electricity. I bet, we will be able to know each other more in 24  hours as compared to  spending a lifetime together. (with all these distractions!)

Technorati Tags: electricity, facebook, happiness, mobile phones, ptv drama, tv