Hi-Tech Cell Phones- How Health Savvy Are They?

In his paper, "Mobile Phones and Brain Tumors-A Public Health Concern," Dr. Vini G. Khurana, a top Australian neurosurgeon, who has been awarded 14 times in over 16 years of his contribution to the medical field, has posed a threat to our lives by this pocket-sized yet immensely sophisticated device called the “Cell Phone”.

Among the numerous gifts technology has so far offered to the mankind, cell phone remains to be the most indispensable, as it connects the world in seconds. Available in all price ranges and with facilities such as - chatting, receiving, attending and sending important calls, messages, e-mail, playing games, accessing happenings around the world, listening to music, taking snaps and so on, this sleek, elite device is something which commands over all the technological devices available till date.

Dr.Vini G. Khurana is a staff specialist neurosurgeon at the Canberra Hospital and associate professor of neurosurgery with Australian National University Medical School. He has also been a Mayo Clinic-trained neurosurgeon with an advanced neurosurgery Fellowship in Cerebrovascular and Complex Tumor Surgery.

After 14-month of exhaustive study, reviewing more than 100 cases, based on harmful effects of mobile phones, Dr. Khurana has submitted his findings on a brain surgery website, and his paper based on the research is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.

In his study, Dr.Khurana rates radiationdefine from mobile phones to be almost three times or even more hazardous than smoking or exposure to asbestos. As, smoking kills around five million people worldwide every year, exposure to asbestos also has the record of causing abundant deaths, but, radiation from cell phones is all the more fatal and risks are double, as it is the highly accessible and commonly used device.

According to Dr. Khurana, continuous usage of mobile phones for ten years or more has doubled the risk of Brain Cancerdefine. The mobile phones emit electromagnetic radiation that actually poses the threat to the brain, which is said to be an electrical organ itself. It can also heat up other parts of the head. He also states that connection between cell phone and tumor is not a myth, as “the length of cell-phone usage and the delayed occurrence of vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) and astrocytoma brain tumor on the same side of the head as the ‘preferred side’ for phone usage increases the risk from 200-400 per cent”.

His report states: "The 'incubation time' or 'latency' (i.e., the time from commencement of regular mobile-phone usage to the diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumor in a susceptible individual) may be in the order of 10 to 20 years. In the years 2008 to 2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this global technology on brain-tumor incidence rates."

“The scientific and medical communities need to re-evaluate previous studies that found no link between cell phones and brain cancer”, said Khurana. He also adds that, “the telecommunications industry needs to expedite the development and promotion of ‘safe, practical and ubiquitous EMR/radiofrequency shielding devices for mobile and cordless phones and their Bluetooth and headset accessories’."

However, Dr.Khurana’s effort has received a mixed response by his peer-group. While some said this study is factual and is of great concern to all, others strictly deny the findings, saying it needs to be proved further.

For instance, Joe Ferren, a spokesman for CTIA- the Wireless Association said in the ‘Tech News World’ that, “The link between mobile-phone use and cancer is even listed among the American Cancer Society's "Top 10 Cancer Myths".” Majority of individuals and associations need further debate on the issue. Like The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency called the finding to be ‘anecdotal repeat’ of earlier finding, further denying amendment in its regulation of mobile phone use. According to agency’s director of non-ionizing radiation, Dr.Colin Roy, “There is nothing new in this- it’s just someone looking at it [the data] from another perspective. We’ve had major bodies look at this (phone radiation) over the years. We’re more inclined to look at the results of experts in the field”.

This leads us, the human race to re-think on our technological advancements- whether it is really making our lives convenient, or taking us towards series of disasters. Well, Dr.Khurana rightly says, it should be judiciously and practically used. He concludes by saying, “We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and dangerous situation. Unless the industry and governments take immediate and decisive steps, the incidence of malignant brain tumors and associated death rate will be observed to rise globally within a decade from now, by which time it may be far too late to intervene medically”.

Thus, although the study is facing high controversy from telecom industry, scientists and researchers, the fact revealed by Dr. Khurana can’t be ignored, as we can’t afford to take risk on the lives of millions.