A call a day keeps cellphone cancer away

BANGALORE, INDIA: Caution: Cellphones can cause cancer. Well, that could actually be a warning label on your cellphones from September 12, 2012.

A year after the World Health Organization warned of deadly radiations emitted by cellphones being carcinogenic, India is making it mandatory for mobile phones to flash a label stating the amount of radiation emitted by them.

When the norm comes into effect in September, it isn't just about keeping the users informed, but is expected to have a bigger impact on companies as cellphones will be imported or sold in India only if the SAR level is below 1.6 watts/kg for 6 minutes of talk time. SAR or specific absorption rate is the amount of radio waves absorbed by the body tissue when a phone is in use.

In May 2011, WHO had stated that radiation from cellphones can possibly cause cancer and it had listed mobile phone use in the same carcinogenic hazard bracket as lead, engine exhaust and choloroform. It had found evidence of increase in glioma and acoustic neuroma brain cancer for excessive cellphone users.

Evidently, that has been taken quite seriously by the mobile phone companies. Already, the Apple iPhone 4 safety manual says: "When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep the iPhone at least 15 millimeters away from the body."

Every country has set its own SAR level like for a phone to be sold in the United States, its maximum SAR level must be 1.6 watts per kilogram. In Europe, the level is capped at 2 watts per kilogram, while Canada permits a maximum of 1.6 watts per/kg.

BlackBerry Bold advises users to "keep the BlackBerry device at least 0.98 inch (25 millimeters) from your body when the BlackBerry device is transmitting."

"It is good to have a warning on the phones because people will start thinking that they could be associated health hazards. However, it is also important that people should be informed that they should not use cellphone for long time," says Prof Girish Kumar, electrical engineering department, IIT Bombay.

He says that in extreme case a person should not use the cellphone for more than 18 to 24 minutes per day. In India, where the cellphone user number is pretty close to the population of the country, the average cellphone use is 15 minutes/day.

"In addition, I am extremely concerned about people who live close to cell towers, which radiate 24x7," says Prof Girish Kumar.

Precautionary measures are essential, but that doesn't mean one has to stop using phones.

SO, HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN FOLLOW TO KEEP CANCER AWAY

- Limit the use of cellphones

- If possible, use SMS

- Use cellphone with lower SAR value

- Use speakerphone or wired hands free or Bluetooth, but keep cellphone at a distance

of at least one foot from your body

- Use landline when available

- Do not keep cellphones in your hand/pocket for long.