Most of us were awakened this morning by the alarm on a mobile phone sitting by the bedside. We fed microwave-heated milk to our children and rushed off to work, where we complete an eight-hour shift on a computer and spend hours on our cellphones talking to clients and colleagues.
From hairdryers to DVD players, our lives are intertwined with electromagnetic radiation. We can't see it, and we can't smell it, but it's always there. Even if we choose to live a life away from the city and not use any electrical devices, we are exposed to the electromagnetic radiation from the devices around us. There is no escape from it, yet most of us take precautions to minimize exposure to this “invisible and insidious enemy.”
How serious is the threat from electromagnetic radiation? Is it something we should all worry about, and to what extent?
According to experts, the biggest contributor to electromagnetic radiation is the radon gas present within the building blocks of our homes, such as stone and earth. Other obvious sources of radiation are the sun and water. Before you cancel your summer holiday in the Mediterranean or pour your tap water down the drain, it is important to note there are two types of electromagnetic radiation: ionizing and non-ionizing.
Ionizing radiation sources include the X-rays commonly used in medical imaging and curing cancer. This radiation is the dangerous type we should all avoid if possible. However, much of the debate on electromagnetic radiation concerns the non-ionizing type. Television sets, remote controls, wireless communication equipment, and microwave ovens are examples of sources of non-ionizing radiation. Because this type is believed not to be powerful enough to free electrons from matter, it is unlikely to cause cancer or DNA damage. There is no scientific evidence to prove otherwise.
However, it is known that non-ionizing radiation has some temporary adverse effects on the brain and sensory system. Such radiation can affect our memory and response functions and cause headaches, exhaustion, and loss of sleep.
Base stations located on roof tops and near residential areas also raise serious health concerns. Given that ionizing-radiation frequency is six orders of magnitude higher than the non-ionizing emissions of base stations, we can breathe a sigh of relief that they cannot cause much harm. Furthermore, base station antennas have high directivity, which means they are designed to not radiate behind or underneath them. Therefore, residents under the roof are safe. However, it is important to install base stations at a safe distance from people and buildings outside their emission zone. In a rural area, such safety criteria can easily be met. But within cities, where the cell sizes are small and there is a high density of base station installations, I am not sure how protected we all are.
The health effects of mobile phones will remain a popular topic until solid scientific evidence is available and widely accepted by the public. According to researchers, mobile phone radiation manifests itself in two ways: thermal and nonthermal. The thermal effect is when the radiation is absorbed by the human body and converted to heat, which causes the body temperature to rise. This is normally regulated by the circulation of blood. Statistically, an increase in temperature from mobile phone use is as low as 0.1 C and is negligible. Our body can easily regulate this. It has also been shown that the effect of radiation on the brain is 50 percent less for adults than it is for children.
Do mobile phones cause cancer? Considering the low levels of non-ionizing radiation they emit, DNA damage is unlikely to occur, so cancer cannot develop. However, despite studies conducted in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan, there's no evidence to the contrary, either.
Since most men carry mobile phones in their pockets, a possible link to infertility has been raised. Though some studies have identified a 30 percent decrease in sperm count and a 40 percent reduction in sperm motility, further research is definitely needed before jumping to any conclusions. However, I am sure most men reading this will be careful not to carry their phone in their trousers anymore. It does not hurt to be safe, right?
Given our lifestyle, I think it is safe to say that eliminating electromagnetic radiation from our lives is unlikely. However, sensible use seems to be the way to minimize any potential harmful effects.