Effects of Mobile Radiation :: ML 01

Effects of mobile radiation

Introduction
                                             

                                       The effect of mobile phone radiation on human health is the subject of recent interest and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world (as of November 2011, there were more than 6 billion subscriptions worldwide). Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.

Many scientific studies have investigated possible health symptoms of mobile phone radiation. Exposure to RF fields is unlikely to lead to an increase in cancer in humans.

Radiation absorption:

                                                  Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone handset are absorbed by the body. The radio waves emitted by a GSM handset can have a peak power of 2 watts, and a US analogue phone had a maximum transmit power of 3.6 watts. Other digital mobile technologies, such as CDMA2000 and D-AMPS, use lower output power, typically below a watt. The maximum power output from a mobile phone is regulated by the mobile phone standard and by the regulatory agencies in each country. In most systems the cellphone and the base station check reception quality and signal strength and the power level is increased or decreased automatically, within a certain span, to accommodate different situations, such as inside or outside of buildings and vehicles.

Thermal effects:

                               One well-understood effect of microwave radiation is dielectric heating, in which any dielectric material (such as living tissue) is heated by rotations of polar molecules induced by the electromagnetic field. In the case of a person using a cell phone, most of the heating effect will occur at the surface of the head, causing its temperature to increase by a fraction of a degree. In this case, the level of temperature increase is an order of magnitude less than that obtained during the exposure of the head to direct sunlight. The brain's blood circulation is capable of disposing of excess heat by increasing local blood flow. However, the cornea of the eye does not have this temperature regulation mechanism and exposure of 2–3 hours duration has been reported to produce cataracts in rabbits' eyes at SAR values from 100-140W/kg, which produced lenticular temperatures of 41°C. There were no cataracts detected in the eyes of monkeys exposed under similar conditions. Premature cataracts have not been linked with cell phone use, possibly because of the lower power output of mobile phones.

Blood–brain barrier effects

                            Swedish researchers from Lund University (Salford, Brun, Persson, Eberhardt, and Malmgren) have studied the effects of microwave radiation on the rat brain. They found a leakage of albumin into the brain via a permeated blood–brain barrier. This confirms earlier work on the blood–brain barrier by Allan Frey, Oscar and Hawkins, and Albert and Kerns.Other groups have not confirmed these findings in in vitro cell studies or whole animal studies,

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

                             Some users of mobile handsets have reported feeling several unspecific symptoms during and after its use; ranging from burning and tingling sensations in the skin of the head and extremities, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, loss of mental attention, reaction times and memory retentiveness, headaches, malaise, tachycardia (heart palpitations), to disturbances of the digestive system. Reports have noted that all of these symptoms can also be attributed to stress and that current research cannot separate the symptoms from nocebo effects.[42]

Health hazards of base stations:

                                 A Greenfield-type tower used in base stations for mobile telephony Another area of concern is the radiation emitted by the fixed infrastructure used in mobile telephony, such as base stations and their antennas, which provide the link to and from mobile phones. This is because, in contrast to mobile handsets, it is emitted continuously and is more powerful at close quarters. On the other hand, field intensities drop rapidly with distance away from the base of transmitters because of the attenuation of power with the square of distance.One popular design of mobile phone antenna is the sector antenna, whose coverage is 120 degrees horizontally and about +-5 degrees from the vertical.Because base stations operate at less than 100 watts, the radiation at ground level is much weaker than a cell phone due to the power relationship appropriate for that design of antenna. Base station emissions must comply with safety guidelines (see Safety standards and licensing below). Some countries however (such as South Africa for example) have no health regulations governing the placement of base stations.

Several surveys have found a variety of self-reported symptoms for people who live close to base stations.[66][67][68][69][70] However, there are significant challenges in conducting studies of populations near base stations, especially in assessment of individual exposure.[71] Self-report studies can also be vulnerable to the nocebo effect.

Two double-blind placebo-controlled trials conducted at the University of Essex and another in Switzerland[72] concluded that mobile phone masts were unlikely to be causing these short term effects in a group of volunteers who complained of such symptoms.[73] The Essex study found that subjects were unable to tell whether they were being exposed to electromagnetic fields or not, and that sensitive subjects reported lower well-being independently of exposure. The principal investigator concluded "It is clear that sensitive individuals are suffering real symptoms and often have a poor quality of life. It is now important to determine what other factors could be causing these symptoms, so appropriate research studies and treatment strategies can be developed."

Experts consulted by France considered it was mandatory that main antenna axis not to be directly in front of a living place at a distance shorter than 100 metres.[74] This recommendation was modified in 2003[75] to say that antennas located within a 100-metre radius of primary schools or childcare facilities should be better integrated into the cityscape and was not included in a 2005 expert report.[76] The Agence française de sécurité sanitaire environnementale currently says that there is no demonstrated short term effect of electromagnetic fielon health, but that there are open questions for long term effects, and that it's easy to reduce exposure via technological improvements.

Occupational health hazards:

                                  Telecommunication workers who spend time at a short distance from the active equipment, for the purposes of testing, maintenance, installation, etcetera, may be at risk of much greater exposure than the general population. Many times base stations are not turned off during maintenance, but the power being sent through to the antennas is cut off, so that the workers do not have to work near live antennas.

Precautionary measures and health advisories:

                  In May 2011, the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer announced it was classifying electromagnetic fields from mobile phones and other sources as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" and advised the public to adopt safety measures to reduce exposure, like use of hands-free devices or texting. Some national radiation advisory authorities, including those of Austria, France,Germany, and Sweden have recommended measures to minimize exposure to their citizens.

 Examples of the recommendations are:

·       Use hands-free to decrease the radiation to the head.

·       Keep the mobile phone away from the body.

·       Do not use telephone in a car without an external antenna.

·       Several nations have advised moderate use of mobile phones for children.

It would be good to restrict children’s use of mobile phones:

                           Children nevertheless have a special status as mobile phone users, among others, because brains continue to develop even up to 20 years of age. It should also be taken into account that children will have much more time to use mobile phones than adults today who started their regular mobile phone use only about ten years ago. The risk of long-term use of mobile phones cannot however be assessed with certainty until mobiles phones have been in use for several decades.

·       Parents are recommended to advice their children to use rather SMS messages than mobile phone calls

·       Parents may restrict the number of their children’s mobile phone calls and their duration

·       Parents are recommended to guide their children to use a hands-free that minimises the exposure of head significantly. When using a hands-free it is recommended to keep the mobile phone at least a few centimetres away from the body.

·       It is not recommended to use mobile phones in weak fields.

        Finally I conclude that whatever it might be it will be having both advantanges and disadvantages .if we use it in the right way we will be affected less.