Hyderabad: There may be no evidence yet to prove that cellphone tower radiations cause cancer but the medical fraternity says that studies are still continuing, and to take them as final evidence is not right.
The electromagnetic fields of cellphone towers and base stations are a cause of major concern as it is considered a public health hazard. There are 4,830 towers in Hyderabad and TRAI claims that safety standards are followed.
But doctors say that it is too early to decide. Dr B. Raju of Osmania GH explained, “There is minor radiation exposure when one talks. But if usage is very high then the effect of radiation is higher. To completely rule out danger now because there is no evidence does not mean that there can’t be evidence in future.” There are 875 million mobile phone users in India and this is going to increase. Given the wide usage it is very important to look into health aspects as phones are kept close to the ears, in shirt and pant pockets and some people also keep it close to their bed while sleeping.
Cellular Operators Association of India DG Rajan S. Mathews, IT minister KTR and municipal commissioner Somesh Kumar at the discussion on cellphone towers and health hazards in the City on Thursday.
A senior oncologist explained, "We have a usage history of 15 years. So we must have an independent study on the use of cellphones and its impact on health. If we begin now, in five years, we will have some data on how it affects the body, and what are the changes that occur in the body."
The frequent complaints of headaches, memory loss and insomnia are still not proved claim operators. Rajan Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India says, "It is not radiation from towers that is affecting people. It is their habit of not using handsfree phones and keeping the phone close to the ears."
Y. Kiran Kumar who surveyed cell phone towers in Hyderabad explained, "When the signal is weak, the network tries to connect to the tower and at that time there is more radiation. So, if we have more towers the problem of radiation will decline. In our survey we found that after nine meters the effect of radiation is negligible."
But health experts say that it is too early to jump to conclusions and that people must be told to exercise caution to avoid health hazards.
Tips for the safe use of cell phones.
1) Use a headset (wired or Bluetooth) to keep the handset away from your head. Do not press the phone handset against your head. Radio Frequency (RF) energy is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source, that is being very close increases energy absorption.
2) Do not talk for a long time on the cellphone. Use the speaker if possible.
3) If radio signal is weak, a mobile phone will increase its transmission power. Find a strong signal and avoid movement. Use your phone in areas where reception is good.
4) Let the call connect before putting the handset on your ear. A mobile phone first makes communication at high power and then reduces power to adequate level. There is more radiation during the call connecting time.
5) When your phone is ON, don't carry it in chest/breast or pants pocket. When a mobile phone is ON, it automatically transmits at high power every one or two minutes to check the network.
6) People having active medical implants should preferably keep the cellphone at least 15 cm away from the implant.
