CHENNAI, September 11, 2013
Vasudha Venugopal
Recent studies contradict the view that emissions from cell phone cause irreparable damage to health
Recent studies in institutions across the world have contradicted reports of radiation from cell phones and their towers damaging the eggs of sparrows, and thereby contributing to their reducing numbers.
In the last two years, universities in Kerala, Assam and several Indian and international conservation agencies have raised concerns about the decreasing number of sparrows and blamed it on the radiation emitted from mobile phones and cell phone towers.
Some have also established links between the radiation and cancer, while a few reports have suggested that sparrow eggs break when they come in contact with a cell phone in operation for considerable time.
But some recent reports in Indian and international institutions have expressed doubts whether cell phone radiation, that falls between TVs and microwave ovens belonging to the low frequency radiation of the electromagnetic spectrum, can conceivably impair health.
Arunn Narasimhan, associate professor, IIT- Madras, explains that the electromagnetic spectrum is split into two zones - ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. “Ionizing gamma rays and X-rays can cause cancer when their energy is absorbed by the tissue, damaging DNA. But both microwaves and radio waves – used to transmit data to television and radio, don’t have sufficient energy to knock-off electrons from atoms of the objects they pass through.”
“If waves from cell phones were to affect health, then radio waves which have existed for a long a time now, should have done much damage,” he said.
Recent research papers in the encyclopaedia of Environmental Health have said that no study has concretely proved that cell phone radiation can cause irreparable damage to health. The view that exposure to cell phone radiation leads to DNA mutations and growth of cancerous tumours in humans or living things is a conjecture not yet proved.
“Sparrows are ‘affected’ by cell phone radiation just like any other living being. Tying a cell phone in operation to a sparrow’s body can lead to heating of the sparrow.
Beyond this, there is no correlation between cell phone radiation – whether from the hand-held devices or towers – and decline in sparrow population,” said Prof Narasimhan.
Some recent reports have suggested that microwaves cause DNA mutation in the egg yolk or irreparable damage to atoms. “If this were true, eggs randomly should pop-off in nests all over a region due to incessant cell phone microwave radiation noise,” he said.
CHENNAI, September 11, 2013
Don’t ignore the alarm bells
Ramya Kannan
Experts say ringing sound in the ear a sign of beginning of hearing loss
Do mobile phone and tower radiation affect humans biologically? The debate has been raging for a few years now. Multiple studies have been done, some ongoing, adding grist to the mill on both sides of the debate.
There are nearly as many studies that disprove the effects of radiation on humans, as those that make a sure case for deleterious health effects.
BioInitiative is an effort that seeks to present the global response to the growing health issue of chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields. In two reports, one in 2007 and the other in 2012, it seeks to list various studies and initiatives that study the effect of radiofrequency radiation in the daily life of billions of people across the world. After the BioInitiative Report of 2012, it arrived at the conclusion that “there is more evidence than we need. The last five years worth of new scientific studies tell us the situation is much worse than in 2007 and yet people around the world have so much more daily exposure than even five years ago.”
And while mobile companies, even some scientists, might claim that the evidence is insufficient or not conclusive yet, there is one area where specialists and lay people readily acknowledge the link between cell phone usage and health effects: hearing. “The first warning signs are warmth and pain in the ear after a long conversation on a mobile phone. If this persists, then it leads to tinnitus. It takes some years to lead to further damage, but the hearing loss is permanent, irreversible,” Mohan Kameswaran, senior ENT Surgeon says.
CHENNAI, September 11, 2013
Salim Ali institute planning study
B. Kolappan
Urbanisation a greater threat: scientist
‘No link with spurt in population of crows’
As there is no evidence to conclusively suggest that radiation from cell phone towers has deadly effects on birds, particularly the sparrow, the Salim Ali Institute of Ornithology and Natural Sciences in Coimbatore has proposed an exhaustive study on the subject.
“Actually, there is no clear proof to conclude that cell phone towers are directly responsible for the decline in sparrow population. But this does not mean that the studies are final. There is a proposal in our institute to study the impact of cell phone towers on birds,” said P. Pramod, senior scientist of the Institute.
Mr. Pramod said three major issues had a direct bearing on sparrow population: availability of food, nesting sites and hiding places to escape from predators. Urbanisation has fast depleted their habitat.
“Proliferation of departmental stores and availability of grains in polythene pockets deny sparrows access to food. Earlier, sparrows used to feed on waste outside provision stores,” he said.
Intensive use of insecticides also resulted in the decline of sparrows. The hatchlings need insects for fast growth. Insecticides have gradually eradicated insects.
Mr. Pramod said the second factor responsible for the decline in sparrow population was the disappearance of old thatched houses and the proliferation of concrete structures. “They have an age-old relationship with human beings and nest in roofs of houses. But today there is hardly any space for them to nest,” he said.
Copyright© 2013, The Hindu
No comments:
Post a Comment