Dr Rajiv Desai

THE CELL PHONE

January 23, 2010 by Dr Rajiv Desai

THE CELL PHONE :
The Cell Phone(CP) also known as mobile phone/mobile/cell/hand phone/wireless phone etc is defined as a mobile electronic device which is used in voice/data communication within a specific geographical network area known as CELL,which are interconnected to increase coverage area to a very long distance.
CP is basically a sophisticated Radio which emits micro/radio waves which are known as RADIOFREQUENCY RADIATION(RFR) which is a part of the spectrum of Electromagnetic Waves.Microwaves are a subset of Radiowaves with the wavelength between 3mm to 30 cms.The strength of RFR is inversely proportional to the square of distance from the source.The key word is ‘DISTANCE’. In contrast to CP, other devices like Radio/TV/Microwave-oven are not held close to the body and hence their RFR exposure is much less than CP.
There is a worldwide epidemic of CP with 4 billion users by the end of the year 2008,and 25000 new users everyday in the world.
Dr.Martin Cooper invented CP in the year 1973 and the first commercial CP network started in Japan in the year 1979.
The global system for mobile communication(GSM); the code division multiple access(CDMA);and the universal mobile telecommunication system(UMTS) are various the digital mobile phone services consisting of base-station antennas which communicate with CP via RFR transmission.
The RFR exposure to human being from CP handset is intense,localised and intermittent and is emitted in the frequency range between 900 to 1800 megahertz in GSM system and 800 megahertz in CDMA system.The peak output from GSM handset is 2 watts and 1 watt from CDMA handset.The RFR exposure to humanbeing from base-station antennas is continuous,whole community-wholebody exposure but very low level and less than RFR from TV/Radio station.The RFR from CP handsets are 1000 times more powerful than RFR from base-station antennas and more likely to cause adverse health effects than base-stations.
The RFR emitted from CP/Wi-Fi device/cordless phones are micro/radio waves which are non-ionizing radiation as opposed to X-rays/Gamma rays which are high energy ionizing radiation which dislodges electrons from atoms causing damage to DNA resulting in cancer/birth defects.
However,even though,RFR is non-ionizing,it does cause heat effect in biological tissue.When the CP is held over the ear,the brain/eyes are exposed to the heat effect of RFR.
SAR(specific absorption rate) is defined as the rate at which the RFR energy is absorbed per unit mass of the biological tissue.Maximum absorption of RFR energy by the head from the CP held over left ear corresponds to peak SAR of 2 to 3 watts per kg of human tissue.The SAR of 4 watts per kg raises the temperature by 1 degree celsius in human brain.However, the brain has rich blood supply which carry off the heat but the cornea of the eyes/testes have poor blood supply which can suffer heat-induced damage.The SAR concept is related to thermal harm due to RFR from CP and does not include non-thermal biological adverse effects.USA has SAR limit of 1.6 watts per kg.When you buy CP,insist on low SAR handsets to minimise thermal harm to eyes/testes.CDMA system is better than GSM because of lower SAR,less sharp RFR,less energy,less hypersensitivity and less bioactive than GSM.
The billion dollar question is DOES RFR EMITTED FROM CELL PHONE HARM HUMAN BEING WHO USES IT ???
US FCC+US FDA+UK NRPB+WHO have concluded that there is no scientific evidence to prove that CP indeed has adverse health effects/adverse health hazards. However,further research/studies are needed/required.
THE BENEFIT OF DOUBT IS ALWAYS GIVEN TO THE VICTIM.
The victim is an ordinary consumer and not the cell phone manufacturer.There are 4 billion consumers and slight increase in health risk would lead to millions of people getting health problems.
I will review various studied done in many countries about health hazards posed by CP:
1) The Swedish study in the year 2006 showed that persons using CP for one hour daily for many years(2000 hours)have 240 % higher risk of brain tumours than CP non-user.Another study showed that 50000 new cases of brain/eye tumours occur every year due to CP.Another study showed that risk of brain tumour is 4 times higher in people using CP for more than 10 years.
2)Electromagnetic interference due to RFR from CP affects aircraft electronics,pace makers,hearing aids,ICU equipments etc.
3) Canadian study showed that distraction of driver by CP while driving increases 4-fold risk of auto-collision/accidents.Another study showed that using CP while driving is worse than drunken driving.
4) Danish study showed that children whose mother was using CP during pregnancy were having behavioural disorder/hyperactivity.
5) A study has shown that 2 minute talk on CP can lead to disruption of blood-brain-barrier resulting in leak of proteins/toxins from blood into brain tissue which may give rise to Parkinsonism/Multiple-Sclerosis/Alzheimer’s disease etc.
6) CP overuse leads to forgetfulness,confusion,incoordination,headache,dizziness etc.
7) A study has shown that children and teens who are hooked up to CP develop learning disability,hyperactivity,asthma,vision loss,hearing loss,cancer,sleep disorder and are accident prone.
8) Those men who carry CP in their pant pockets/belts whole day in stand-by mode have 30 % less sperms than those who donot carry CP.
9) Animal study has shown that exposure of 2 hours of CP can lead to DNA breakage.A study in Israel showed that CP indeed harms human DNA.
10) A study has postulated that CP will kill more people than smoking.
11) There is one reported death due to explosion of CP batteries in China.
12) A study has shown that CP harbours many bacteria/viruses which can transmit infections.The germ density is 25000 germs per square inch on CP while it is only 50 germs per square inch on toilet seat.
13) Criminals use CP with camera for sexual offences/blackmail by picturing nude photos of victim-woman secretly in hotel/malls/toilets.
14) Terrorists use CP for communication/detonation of explosive device.
There are hundreds of studies which show adverse health outcome due to CP overuse/misuse.It is premature to say that CP should be banned and there is lack of consensus among scientific community regarding health hazards posed by CP. What should common people do?
MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMMON PEOPLE ABOUT CELL PHONE USE:
1) Always use CP with less SAR value belonging to CDMA system and not GSM system.
2) Use CP with air-tube headset(hands free) and always keep CP away from body/brain/eyes/testes.
3) Never use CP while driving.
4) Talk less than 2 minutes on CP and talk only when the signal intensity is maximum.
5) Children/teens/pregnant women should use CP only in emergency.
6) Clean CP with germicidal wipes and avoid CP sharing and wash hands frequently.
7) Switch off CP when you enter an aircraft/ICU.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
THE CELL PHONE DOES HARM HUMAN BEING BECAUSE OF OVERUSE/MISUSE BY HUMAN BEING.
Dr.Rajiv Desai.MD.