The invisible threat - We can’t live without them, but can we really live with them?

We can’t live without them, but can we really live with them? Find out how gadgets like mobiles and laptops could be seriously affecting our health.

It’s difficult to imagine life without the cellphone or the laptop. From being luxury gizmos earlier, they are almost human appendages now, attached to us 24x7. But are we paying a huge price for our dependence on such electronic items?





Recently, a Jawaharlal Nehru University pilot study found that 20 rats subject to mobile phone radiation had damaged DNA and low sperm count. And last week, the Union health ministry commissioned the first largescale study of the effects of radio frequency radiation from mobile phones on humans. With 250 million mobile phone subscribers currently in India, and many more using other appliances like television, computer, vacuum cleaner, microwave etc, the fear is that these ‘essentials’ of life may actually be posing a big health risk because of their electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

As such, research has not yet established anything definite about the impact of EMFs on the human body. They are everywhere, though we cannot sense them. Almost all electronic equipment have EMFs and we are constantly bombarded by the radiation from these fields. But then, not all EMFs have an impact. Only those with high frequencies —2mG (milliGauss) and above—cause the maximum harm. And these are usually found in appliances that we use on a daily basis—microwaves, cordless phones, computer monitors, fax machines, cellphones, cellphone towers, hair dryers and so on.

Cancer connection?

Various international studies have tried to establish the link between EMFs and some diseases. Doctors believe that constant exposure to high frequency EMFs leads to digestive disorders, fatigue, hypertension, insomnia, irritability, low blood pressure, infertility in males, cancer, neurological and cardiovascular problems. A Swedish study in 1993 demonstrated a 1.7 times higher risk of leukaemia in adults and a 2.7 times higher risk for childhood leukaemia from exposure to EMFs. A few years back, the California Department of Health Services concluded after a seven-year study that EMF exposure is a risk factor for childhood leukaemia.

The threat is real and omnipresent. Says oncologist Dr Ramananda Nadig, president, Health Care Global-Triesta Sciences, Bangalore, “Most, if not all, electrical appliances that emit EMFs, are harmful to a certain extent. While they may not be initiators of a malignant change, there is every likelihood that they promote/augment such a change. The more people are exposed, the greater the risk. That is why it’s important that we be cautious of EMFs.”

In recent years, experts hav been studying the impact of cellphones and cellphone towers on the h u m a n body, and the initial research results have not been too comforting. An Australian neurosurgeon of Indian origin, Dr Vini Khurana, recently published a research paper on the link between mobiles and brain cancer. He said using mobiles for over 10 years could more than double the risk of brain cancer. Mobile phone radiation, he says, could heat the side of the head or thermoelectrically interact with the brain, while Bluetooth devices and “unshielded” headsets could “convert the user’s head into an effective, potentially self-harming antenna”.

Similarly, cellphone towers are a cause of concern. A 2005 study by Gursatej Gandhi, a researcher in the Human Genetics Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, found that “exposure to radio frequency (RF) signals generated by the use of cellular phones has increased dramatically and is reported to affect physiological, neurological, cognitive and behavioural changes and to induce, initiate and promote carcinogenesis….”

Price of progress

Khurana admits that a link between mobiles and brain cancer has still not been definitely proven because mobiles have been in use only in the two decades and it takes years for solid tumours to form. Nevertheless, there is reason to be worried. Says Nadig, “There are currently over three billion cellphone users worldwide. In India, the numbers are equally big and they are growing by the day. We don’t realise it but holding the phone close to the brain regularly, increases our chances of brain tumour.” What is further worrying is the fact that children as young as three years are exposed to cellphones and their growing tissues are much more vulnerable to harmful radiation.Yet, most experts agree that the maximum harm is caused when the cellphone is used constantly and over a long period of time.

While cellphones can be monitored — they can be switched off or used on speaker mode — there is no way the mushrooming cellphone towers can be controlled. “The EMF generated from the tower is 24X7 and is of a much higher frequency. They are a huge threat,” says Ravinder Kohli, professor, centre for environment, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Dr Howard W Fisher, a Toronto-based natural physician, has been vocal about the invisible threat to health from EMF radiation. And his concern is voiced in his bestselling books, The Invisible Threat series. “EMF radiation is a serious health risk and unfortunately, we are not aware of it. To spend 60 minutes in a wi-fi environment is equal to 20 minutes on a cellphone. If the EMF radiations can penetrate concrete walls and cellphones can work in basements, then there is no reason why they can’t penetrate human tissues,” reasons Fisher. On a recent visit to the country, he was alarmed by the number of power transmitters in residential areas and markets. They are dangerous, he says. “I was horrified to see children playing close to the transmitters. They have such powerful EMFs. I am sure people who live close to them would be suffering from irritation, fatigue and various other problems,” points out Fisher.

What is interesting is that the extent of the harm caused differs from individual to individual. Some people may be affected more, while it may take years for some others to develop a disease.
But not everybody feels that there is any reason to worry. Says Dr Anusheel Munshi, professor, radiation oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, “While too much exposure to EMFs is usually not good, till we have concrete proof of a correlation between cellphones and cancer, there is no cause for immediate alarm.” Besides, some people feel that a protective device, currently available in the market, can minimise the harmful rays. “The MRET polymer chip significantly reduces the damage caused by EMF,” informs Fisher.

Yet, the health risks from EMFs cannot be completely ruled out. There’s no escape from them in a world that is so dependent on all things electronic. Perhaps, what is required is some bit of caution.