Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives. So much so that, a cellphone can be called as an extended part of our bodies. We start feeling uneasy when separated from our phones. There are more than 4 billion mobile phone users in the world. Mobile phones have made our lives much easier by enabling us to remain connected to the rest of the world. But as with most scientific inventions, there are some side-effects. We are continuously surrounded by radiation from mobile phones and mobile towers. Whether this radiation is harmful to living beings or not is still debatable. There have been many studies carried out on the subject. Before discussing them, we first need to understand what are ionising and non-ionising radiations.
Ionising radiation- If a radiation carries enough energy to knock out electrons from atoms or molecules, then such radiation is an ionising radiation. Gamma rays and X-rays are examples of ionising radiations. This type of radiation is harmful to living beings. Exposure to such radiation can lead to burns, cancers and genetic mutations. So, it is better to stay away from them, unless you want to mutate to get supernatural powers but chances of death after such exposure are much much higher than turning into spiderman.
Non-ionising radiation- If an electromagnetic radiation does not carry enough energy to knock out electrons from atoms or molecules, then such radiation is non-ionising radiation. Sunlight, infrared waves and mobile tower radiation are its examples. They do not produce any lethal effects in living tissues like ionising radiation.
But is exposure to mobile phone radiation completely safe? In 2011, International Agency for Research on Cancer classified mobile phone radiation as possibly carcinogenic. But WHO added that "to date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use". The mobile phone radiation does produce a heating effect and leads to rise in temperature of the surface of the head by a fraction of a degree. But this rise is smaller than the increase in temperature of head under direct sunlight. And to find a link between cancer and mobile phone usage, a Danish group followed 420,000 citizens for 20 years and they showed no increased risk of cancer. But in 2007, a Swedish scientist found that cell phone users had increased risk of tumors and these tumors are more likely to occur on the side of the head that the mobile handset is used. So, we are still not sure whether that next call to your friend is taking you closer to tumor or not. But what about animals? They are also exposed to mobile radiation from towers all the time. Have they been affected in any way?
Effects on other living beings-In 2010, a group of experts in India reviewed 919 studies performed worldwide regarding the effects of cellphone towers on birds, insects, animals, wildlife and humans. Out of the 919 studies, 593 showed that mobile towers radiation had negative impact on animal life. They also held it responsible as a possible cause of decline in population of some species. In another study by Centre for Environment and Vocational Studies, Punjab, 50 eggs of house sparrows were exposed to EMR for 5-10 minutes and all the 50 embryos were found to be damaged. There has been a massive decline in population of house sparrows in most Indian cities in recent years. In 2014, an environmental science experts team attributed this disappearance of house sparrows to mobile radiation. According to them, long term exposure to mobile radiation has damaging effects on the nervous and immune system of small animals. Also, many species use magnetic navigation and mobile radiation can interfere with their sensors and misguide them while navigating and preying.
So, that shiny smart phone in your hands is radiating waves which may or may not be harmful to us but it looks as if they do have a negative impact on our smaller partners on this planet. We know now that our desire of staying connected might be getting fulfilled by the lives of birds and insects. Let's hope that future studies prove this wrong.
References-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/Mobile-tower-radiation/articleshow/32348258.cms
http://naturalsociety.com/cellphone-tower-emr-damaging-birds-insects-humans/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Radiation-from-mobile-towers-affect-birds-MoEF-study/articleshow/10487141.cms
http://www.moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/final_mobile_towers_report.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-ionizing_radiation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_radiation_and_health
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