Friday, October 1, 2010

Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?

Cell phones heat the brain while users make and receive calls. Cell phones scramble the brain and play havoc with the nervous system. This can cause high blood pressure, which leads to strokes. If cell phones are used for longer periods of time, they can damage long-term memory and even cause brain tumor [1-2]. On the other hand, cell towers are considered more harmful to people particularly those living within the radius of 500 meters as they continuously emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and 365-days an year [3-5]. Towers emit radio-frequencies (RF), a form of EMR, which is essentially the same frequency radiation as microwaves and microwave ovens, for a distance as large as two miles. Low levels of radiation emitted by mobile phone towers are harmful. Scientists at the School of Public Health of Harvard University say that the radiation from cell phone towers is a serious health hazard [6]. Studies have shown that low levels of radiation can cause brain tumor, cancer, depression, miscarriage, insomnia, Alzheimer’s disease, apart from damaging cell tissues and the DNA.  People living close to mobile towers will have disturbed sleep, headache and their immune system could be affected. The nearby apartments could become very hot. Television displays could show flickering images.  Massive increase in radiation in the environment due to these towers is associated with increase in the incidence of diseases such as asthma, learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder (ADD), autism, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, cataracts, hypothyroidism, diabetes, malignant melanoma, testicular cancer, heart attacks and strokes [7-13]. Although  radiation exposed by a person during a mobile phone call is 10 times higher than the exposure from a cell tower, mere standing in a wi-fi enabled area is equal to talking on your mobile for 20 minutes [14].

A collage depicting potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to electro-
magnetic radiation from cell phone towers.