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Talking without the worry

Mobile phones have brought the social and commercial benefits of communication access to a billion users worldwide in just a decade since the current technologies were rolled out. Several million subscribers are being added each month as costs continue to decline. Because they are devices that emit some amount of radio frequency power, mobile phones have been the subject of research to assess health risks, chiefly to look for any link with cancer. The results of a recent study by scientists of the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom allay such fears. Based on data available from the first ten years of use, the researchers have concluded that there is no substantial risk of developing acoustic neuroma (a rare tumour that affects the nerve connecting the inner ear and the brain causing loss of hearing). The findings of the project — described as the most comprehensive so far and covering over 4,000 respondents in the U.K., Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden — have been published in the British Journal of Cancer. Happily, the scientists have reported that they found no relation between the tumours and various usage parameters where the phone is held close to the head. The project investigators have presented their conclusion, with the caveat that risks associated with use of mobile phones over longer periods remain unknown, since the technology is of fairly recent origin. It is also of interest to all users that the Department of Health in the United Kingdom has special advice for children and teenagers: speak less frequently and for shorter periods, and rely more on text messages.

The positive outlook emerging from the most recent study should bring cheer to countries that are aggressively promoting mobile communications. There are over 60 million mobile subscribers in India and the cellular phone industry is celebrating a milestone in national communication history: the number of mobiles exceeded landlines late last year. India and China are key drivers of the growth of mobile telephony and, over the next couple of years, are expected to contribute significantly to a global mobile phone base of over 2.5 billion; the two countries have also been able to overcome to a large degree, the development divide between cities and rural areas through mobile technologies. An important risk associated with the use of mobile phones but not getting due attention, is their thoughtless use by those driving a vehicle. The British Medical Journal reported recently that there is evidence that using a phone while driving, even with a hands-free facility, could lead to an accident. As the country gets more mobile with rising ownership of both vehicles and phones, the safety message can never be emphasised too strongly.

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