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International Journal of Recent Scientific Research

Vol. 4, Issue, 9, pp.1422- 1426, September, 2013

International Journal
of Recent Scientific
Research

ISSN: 0976-3031

RESEARCH ARTICLE
EFFECTS OF MOBILE PHONE AND MOBILE PHONE TOWER RADIATIONS ON HUMAN HEALTH
1

Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat, 2 Vijay Kumar and 3 Gupta .G.K

1 Research
2

Scholar Department of Physics Graphic Era University Dehradun ( U. K )

Associate Professor Department of Physics Graphic Era University Dehradun ( U. K)
3 H.O.D. Department of Physics Graphic Era University Dehradun (U. K) India

ARTICLE INFO

ABSTRACT

Article History:

The mobile phone industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in modern history.
Many researchers have proved electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phone and
mobile phone towers are harmful for the health of human beings, animal and plants. Effect
of electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phone and mobile phone towers depends
upon the user time. The ongoing use of mobile phones has raised the health effects. This
study is done for the people who are not aware about these radiations. After this study, it is
found that electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phone and mobile phone towers are
harmful for the people who are living nearby the transmission towers, so people should keep
away from the transmission towers and people should use the mobile phone as soon as low
timing.
Copy Right, IJRSR, 2013, Academic Journals. All rights reserved.

Received 11th, August, 2013

Received in revised form 26th, August, 2013
Accepted 12th, September, 2013
Published online 30th September, 2013

Key words:
Electromagnetic field, Mobile phone,
Transmission towers and Health hazards

INTRODUCTION
Mainly 800, 900, 1800 and 2450 MHz frequency of
electromagnetic waves are used for the mobile phone
communication. The most common mobile communication
technologies in India are the digital technologies GSM 900 and
1800. To reach the signals of mobile phones on every place, the
towers have situated at every corner of city and at every village of
our country. These towers are essential part of mobile
communication network necessary to establish connection
between the mobile telephone and the rest of the network. In most
Asian countries, towers have become ubiquitous to guarantee
connectivity in large areas of the respective countries e. g., 18000
base stations are operated in India. The so called reference level
for the exposure of the general population at 900 MHz is 4.5
W/m2. The range of exposure of the general population due to
GSM signals is typically between some few hundred mW/m2.
High frequency electromagnetic waves (EMWs) radiated from
the towers, interact with the biological tissues. This interaction is a
complex function of numerous parameters. EMWs in free space
are characterized by the frequency, intensity of electric and
magnetic fields, their direction of propagation and polarization.
Higher frequencies EMWs produce fields of varying intensity at
various places and higher intensity fields exist near the towers.[1]
Also, prolonged use of mobile phones affects the people because
of field concentration and resonance in the vicinity of human
brain. Earlier studies on the effects of high frequency EMF to
human body have shown that long time high frequency exposure
is very harmful for the human body (London et. Al. 1991,
Karunaratha M. A. 2006). Microwave fields have become a
driving force of our civilization through their numerous
applications in the scientific and the industrial as well as the
military and civilian world. Today, due to the development of
modern technology, the field of communication, radar astronomy,
navigation and power etc. and widespread use of these waves

among common generation causes the adverse health effect (Lai

& Singh 1997aAltamura G 1997 and Black N 2009). Much
attention has been paid to health implications with high frequency
electromagnetic field exposure since the last two decades. A large
amount of work has been published on the biological effects of
microwave radiation (Anu Karinen 2008, Hulter H. P. 2010,
Panda et. al. 2010).
Since the biological substances such as blood may be scattered,
reflected and absorbed depending on the field strength, the
frequency, exposure time and the electric properties of the tissues.
Due to the installation of numerous towers, the most of the
population are in direct contact to this radiation continuously. This
prolonged exposure can increase the thermal hazards many fold.

METHOD AND MATERIAL

Theoretical and Measured Radiated power
To measure the power at a distance R, an antenna is used to
receive the power and a spectrum analyzer or power meter is used
to measure received power.
Power Received Pr by an antenna at a distance R is given by:
Pr = Pt Gt Gr

Received power is directly proportional to the transmitted power,

gain of transmitting and receiving antennas, and square of
wavelength of the signal and it is inversely proportional to square
of distance. For transmitter power Pt = 20 W, transmitting antenna
gain Gt = 17 dB, receiving monopole antenna gain Gt = 2 dB, the
received power at R = 50 m is:
At 887 MHz (tower transmitting frequency in CDMA), Pr = -3.2
dBm.
At 945 MHz (tower transmitting frequency in GSM900), Pr = -3.8
dBm.
At 1872 MHz (tower transmitting frequency in GSM1800), Pr = 9.7 dBm.

* Corresponding author: Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat

Research Scholar Department of Physics Graphic Era University Dehradun ( U. K )

International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, Vol. 4, Issue, 9, pp. 1422- 1426, September, 2013
The purpose of a cell tower is that mobile phone should receive
adequate signal for its proper operation. A mobile phone shows
full strength at -69 dBm input power and works satisfactorily in
the received power range of -80 to -100 dBm. In comparison with
-80 dBm level, the measured power level at R = 50m is at least 50
to 60 dB higher, which translates to 100,000 to 1,000,000 times
stronger signal than a mobile phone requires. There are millions of
people who live within 50m distance from cell towers and
absorbing this radiation 24x7.

Fig. 1 - Absorption of electromagnetic radiation from a cell

phone based on age (Frequency GSM 900 MHz)

Biological effects of microwave radiation

When a human body is exposed to the electromagnetic radiation,
it absorbs radiation, because human body consists of 70% liquid.
It is similar to that of cooking in the microwave oven where the
water in the food content is heated first. Microwave absorption
effect is much more significant by the body parts which contain
more fluid (water, blood, etc.), like the brain which consists of
about 90% water. Effect is more pronounced where the movement
of the fluid is less, for example, eyes, brain, joints, heart,
abdomen, etc. Also, human height is much greater than the
wavelength of the cell tower transmitting frequencies, so there
will be multiple resonances in the body, which creates localized
heating inside the body. This results in boils, drying up of the
fluids around eyes, brain, joints, heart, abdomen, etc. There are
several health hazards associated with cell phones and cell towers.
Some of these are described in the following sub-sections.[2]
Risk to Children and Pregnant Women
Children are more vulnerable to cell phone radiation as they:
i.

ii.
iii.
iv.

Absorb more energy than adults from the same phone

owing to their smaller head and brain size, thinner
cranial bones and skin, thinner, more elastic ears, lower
blood cell volume, as well as greater conductivity of
nerve cells and the energy penetrates more deeply.
Tumors in the mid brain are more deadly than in the
temporal lobe,
Childrens cells reproduce more quickly than adults
which makes cancers more deadly,
There immune system is not as well developed as adults
hence are less effective against fighting cancer growth,
Children have longer life time exposure.[3]

Absorption of electromagnetic radiation from a cell phone

(Frequency - GSM 900 MHz) is shown in Fig. 1 by an adult, 10
year old and a 5 year old child. When radiation hits the head, it
penetrates the skull. The yellow area at the bottom is the location
of the cell phone by the ear. The radiation penetrates the skull of
an adult (25%), 10 year old (50%) and a 5 year old (75%).[4,5]
The younger the child, the deeper is the penetration due to the fact
that their skulls are thinner and still developing. For these reasons

it is critical that children under the age of 16 use cell phones only
for short essential calls as they have much bigger danger of
getting a brain tumor. Brain tumors have now taken over leukemia
as the biggest cause of death amongst children. Due to these
reasons countries like Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Russia
and Israel have publicly discouraged use of cell phones by
children. An Independent research in Sweden last year concluded
there was an astonishing 420 percent increased chance of getting
brain cancer for cell phone users who were teenagers or younger
when they first started using their phones.[7]
A pregnant woman and the fetus both are vulnerable because of
the fact that these RF radiations continuously react with the
developing embryo and increasing cells. Microwave radiation can
damage the placental barrier; the membrane which prevents the
passage of some materials between the maternal and fetal blood,
protecting the fetus, implying that pregnant woman should avoid
cell phone or use during emergency.[6] In a recent finding, an
association was found between a mothers cell phone use during
pregnancy and greater likelihood for spontaneous abortion,
congenital malformations and behavioral problems in their
children. It is believed that the eggs, which form the embryo, are
affected and the damage will become apparent after the child
reaches puberty.[6] The Russian National Committee on NonIonizing Radiation Protection says that use of the phones by both
pregnant women and children should be "limited". It concludes
that children who talk on the handsets are likely to suffer from
"disruption of memory, decline of attention, diminishing learning
and cognitive abilities, increased irritability" in the short term, and
that long-term hazards include "depressive syndrome" and
"degeneration of the nervous structures of the brain".[7]
Effect on Skin
Radiation from cell towers and mobile phones affects human skin.
People who talk often on cell phones have a higher concentration
of the transtyretin protein than those who do not. Transtyretin is
formed in the liver; it helps transport vitamin A in the body and
plays an important role in nervous diseases such as Alzheimers.[8]
The symptoms of Morgellons disease include those of
electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS); may be based on how
body uses electric currents to repair wounds to the skin. People
who suffer from this condition report a range of skin symptoms
including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules,
threads or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin and/or
lesions (e.g., rashes or sores). EMFs degrade the immune system
and stimulate various allergic and inflammatory responses. The
high radiation from cell towers can result in an increase in mast
cells, which explains the clinical symptoms of itch, pain, edema
and erythema.[9,10]
Tinnitus and Ear Damage
Tinnitus, popularly known as Ringxiety- is the psychological
disease of hearing phantom sound and sensation of cell phone ring
and it has been reported among millions of cell phone users in the
world. People with severe tinnitus may have trouble hearing,
working or even sleeping. The radiation emitted by mobile phones
may damage the delicate workings of the inner ear, and long-term
and intensive mobile phone use for more than four years and for
longer periods than 30 minutes in a day are at a higher risk of
developing hearing loss, which cannot be reversed.[11] This
auditory perception has been shown to occur when a persons
head is illuminated with microwave energy. The microwave pulse

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upon absorption in the head, launches a thermo-elastic wave of
acoustic pressure that travels by bone conduction to the inner ear.
There it activates the cochlear receptors via the same process
involved for normal hearing, which explains the clicks heard by
people exposed to microwave radiation.[12] Today, more and
more young people between 18 and 25 years of age are suffering
from hearing loss, which doctors say is due to excessive use of
mobile phones and other gadgets. Good hearing depends on the
health of some 16,000 hair cells present in each inner ear. Bu
increasingly, doctors have been treating people whose hair cells
have been damaged by the high radiation emitted from cell
phones. Hearing problems occur because these cells do not
Regenerate. Anyone who spends two to three hours on the cell
phone every day runs the risk of partial deafness over three to five
years. Most of the marketing and tele-consulting professionals are
in their 20s, and their jobs demand long conversations on cell
phones. The problem starts with a pain in the ear that gradually
develops into tinnitus or a ringing sensation which finally leads to
hearing loss.[13]

Bovine eye lenses were exposed to microwave radiation, it caused

macroscopic damage and affected the optical function of the lens.
The damage increased as the irradiation continued and reached a
maximum level after a number of days. When the exposure
stopped the optical damage began to heal gradually. A similar
maximum level was observed when the irradiation intensity was
reduced to one-half the original, except that it took twice the
time.[15] A lens of good optical quality is able to focus the laser
beam from the various locations (green lines in the left frame of
Fig. 2. When the lens is damaged due to exposure to microwave
radiation, its ability to focus the laser beam at the various locations
is altered, as clearly revealed in the right frame. The blue line
connects the points of the back vertex distance for each ray
passing through the lens. The pink line shows the relative intensity
of each beam, that is, the transmitted intensity normalized to the
incident one. Prolonged exposure to microwave radiation similar
to that used by cellular phones can lead to both macroscopic and
microscopic damage to the lens and part of this damage seems to
accumulate over time and does not heal. [16]
Cell phone emission weaken bones
Researchers have measured bone density at the upper rims of the
pelvis (iliac wings) in men who were mobile users and carried
their phones on their belts. The iliac wings are widely used source
of bone for bone grafting, so any reduction in bone density may
be of special importance to reconstructive surgery. The results
showed reduction in iliac wing bone density on the side where
men carried their phones. In general, it is better to keep mobile
phones as far as possible from our body during our daily lives.[17]
Sleep Disorders
Electromagnetic fields have been shown to affect the brain
physiology. Use of mobile phones disturbs 4 stage sleep, the stage
important for full recuperation of brain and body. Use of the
handsets before bed, delays and reduces sleep, and causes
headaches, confusion and depression.[18] The findings are
especially alarming for children and teenagers as they use cell
phones at night and also keep the phone next to their head; which
may lead to mood and personality changes, depression, lack of
concentration and poor academic performance.[19]
Neurodegenerative Diseases

Fig. 2 Left - Good quality lens - all rays passing through the lens
have similar focal length. Right - Exposed lens, showing considerable
variability in the focal length of the beams passing through the lens.

Effect on Eye/ Uveal Melanoma

Frequent use of mobile phones can also damage the visual system
in many ways and cause uveal melanoma i.e. tumor of the eye.
Tumors involve the choroid (98%), iris (1%) and unknown parts
of the uveal tract (1%). Computational modeling and experiments
with several laboratory animals show that microwave radiation
similar to mobile phone frequencies (900, 1800 MHz and 2450
MHz) can induce chromosomal breaks in the corneal epithelial
cells and increase the intraocular temperature of the eye with
prolonged exposure.[14] . Increase in temperature close to the eye
lens (as low as 3oC) can result in lens opacities and increase the
risk of developing cataracts in humans, a condition characterized
by clouding in the natural lens of the eye and lens opacities. When

Exposure to electromagnetic fields has shown to be in connection

with Alzheimers disease, motor neuron disease and Parkinsons
disease. All these diseases are involved with the death of
specific neurons and are classified as neurodegenerative
diseases.[21] People living near mobile phone base stations are
also at risk for developing neuropsychiatric
problems as headache, memory loss, nausea, dizziness, tremors,
muscle spasms, numbness, tingling, altered reflexes, muscle and
joint paint, leg/foot pain, depression, and sleep disturbance. More
severe reactions include seizures, paralysis, psychosis and
stroke.[20]
Increase in Cancer risk
Heavy use of mobile phones can cause cancer. Use of mobile
phones for >10 years give a consistent pattern of increased risk for
brain cancer - glioma (cancer of the glial cells that support the
central nervous system) and acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor in
the brain on a nerve related to hearing). The risk is highest for
ipsilateral (on the same side of the head where the instrument is
held) exposure. Children and teenagers, before the age of 20 are

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five times more likely to get brain cancer, as their brain is not fully
developed and radiation penetration is much deeper. It is possible
that today's young people may suffer an "epidemic" of the disease
in later life. Besides increase in brain tumour and acoustic
neuroma, there is an increased risk of several other types of
cancers following prolonged exposure to mobile phone/ tower
radiation, such as, salivary gland tumors, uveal melanoma,
lymphoma, facial nerve tumors, skin, blood, testicular and breast
cancer. Interphone study has also found a significantly increased
risk of some brain tumors for heavy users of mobile phones (> 20
minutes per day) for a period of 10 years or more. It is suggested
that children should be discouraged from using mobile phones and
restrict use to emergency while adults should keep calls
short.[22]

2.

3.

4.

5.

CONCLUSION
The seriousness of the health hazards due to radiation from the
cell phones and cell towers has not been realized among the
common man. Cell operators continue to claim that there are no
health issues. Even organizations like WHO, ICNIRP, FCC, etc.
have not recommended stricter safe radiation guidelines, whereas
several countries have adopted radiation norms, which are
1/100th to 1/1000th of these values based on their studies. Cell
phone industry is becoming another cigarette industry, which kept
claiming that smoking is not harmful and now there are millions
of people around the world who have suffered from smoking. In
fact, cell phone/tower radiation is worse than smoking; as one
cannot see it or smell it, and its effect on health is noted after a
long period of exposure. Therefore, majority of people tend to
have casualness towards personal protection. Unfortunately,
ignorance and non-awareness adds to this misery and all of us are
absorbing this slow poison unknowingly. Even if people are
aware of the radiation hazard, they may not have the choice to
move away from it if the tower is installed near their office or
residential building. In addition to the continuous radiation from
cell towers, there is radiation from cell phones, wireless phones,
computers, laptops, TV towers, FM towers, AM towers,
microwave ovens, etc. We are exposed to all these radiations
which are additive in nature. Hence, it is imperative that stricter
radiation norms must be enforced by the policy makers. This does
not mean that we have to stop living near these towers. We all
know that automobiles create air pollution have we stopped
using them? Instead, solutions were found such as unleaded
petrol, catalytic converters to reduce emission, CNG driven
vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc. If people in the mobile companies
think there is no health hazard, then let them stand in front of their
own transmitting tower at 1m distance in the main beam for 6
hours are they willing to take the risk? Similar effect will be
there at 10m distance in about 600 hours (25 days). If mobile
companies accept that radiation causes serious health problems,
will people stop using cell phones? Not really, because the cell
technology has its several advantages. However, then
researchers/technocrats/entrepreneurs will come out with possible
solutions, which may be expensive but that cannot be greater than
the health risk faced by humans, birds, animals and environment.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

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