Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk
Now talking on your mobile phone can be as harmful as smoking a cigarette, said a world-renowned scientist on Monday as he spoke on the possibility of cell tower radiation being carcinogenic. While the health hazards of cell phone and the cell tower radiation have been stated earlier, scientist Dr Dariusz leszczynski, who was a part of the 31-member committee of the WHO’s research on cell phone tower radiation, on his recent visit to India said that cell tower radiation was possibly cancerous meaning that it lay in the same category as cigarettes.
In a study done by the WHO in 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans based on the increased risk of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use. Dr leszczynski, an expert in biological health effects of mobile phone radiation since 1996 was one of the 31 scientists who was part of the IARC-WHO committee which classified this. Based on his study through the years, the scientist said, at an event by Syenergy Environics, that there is enough evidence to prove that cell tower radiation is cancerous. “Even though WHO’s research is three years old, there are two other studies done by different set of world-renowned scientists which comes to the same conclusion. One does not want to accept it but cell radiation kills your body slowly just like cigarettes,” said leszczynski.
Several reports in the past have said that there is no conclusive evidence on any harm to health from these radiations. However, according to leszczynski, people are living
in denial. He said, “There is substantial evidence from many epidemiological studies that the use of cell phones for more than 10 years increases risk of cancer and brain tumor by more than 50 per cent. We need to face reality.”
Syenergy Environics has also tried to help reduce the impact of this radiation by 10 per cent. They have launched an Enviro Chip which if attached to cell phones helps stop radiations from entering the body. Ajay Poddar, Managing Director of the company said, “The telecom industry has to be responsive to people’s concern about health and should join citizens groups in research. like the cigarette industry did 20 years back, they should not use terms like ‘no conclusive evidence’ and ‘no substantive proof’. Solutions which have been developed to mitigate the ill-effects should be adopted and encouraged by the industry to create a win-win situation for all.” leszczynski also suggested a few ways in which these radiations can be stopped from affecting the human body. “Earlier mobiles were used only for calling and texting. However, now it is used for data transfer, which means the amount of radiation transmitted has increased. Users can keep their cell phone data services on off for most time and switch it on only when needed,” he said.