Monday, January 14, 2013

‘Cell use, towers health hazard’

New Delhi:Your fear about excessive use of mobile phones causing serious health problems was not ill-founded after all. Months after World Health Organization classified radiofrequency electromagnetic field (EMF) as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’, another global report has red-flagged the use of such technology, citing health risks, including growth of brain tumour and loss of fertility in men.
    BioInitiative 2012 — which is a collaborative effort by 29 authors from 10 countries, including the chair of the Russian national committee on non-ionizing radiation, a senior adviser to the European Environmental Agency and two professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi —calls for a review of public safety limits.
    It says “bio-effects” occur in the first few minutes of use at levels associated with cell and cordless phone use. These can also take effect after just minutes of exposure to mobile phone masts or cell towers that produce whole-body exposure.
    Infants, children, elderly, those with pre-existing chronic diseases and those with developed electrical sensitivity have been described as being the ‘sensitive population’ that should
have the least exposure to this radiation.
    “Many of these bio-effects can reasonably be presumed to result in adverse health effects if the exposures are prolonged and chronic... they interfere with normal body processes, prevent the body from healing damaged DNA (and) produce immune system imbalances, metabolic disruption and low resilience to disease,” the report says.

BUZZING DANGERS
    
Prolonged exposure to radiation from cellphone towers, other wireless technologies can cause imbalance in immune system, metabolism, reproductive system
    Low exposure Can cause headaches, difficulty in concentration, behavioural problems in children and adolescents, sleep disturbances
    Radiation can also affect male fertility. At risk are men who carry a cellphone in their pant pockets, or wear it on their belts

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