TUESDAY, June 17, (News Locale) - Health hazards posed by mobile phone radiations especially to pregnant women and children below the age of 16 years has once again come under the scanner.  

This time the Telecommunication Engineering Centre of the Department of Telecommunications has warned in a draft guideline report that electromagnetic radiation emitted from base station antennas of mobile networks and mobiles phones is dangerous to people.

The report was mainly concerned about the health hazards of these radiations for children below 16 years, pregnant women and those using medical aids like pacemakers and hearing aids. The report says that continuous emission from the mobiles has the potential to damage brain tissue.

This is especially true in children below the age of 16, the report said. It added that such children must be discouraged from using mobiles.

A number of international studies have researched the effects of mobile phone radiations on human health. In February this year Finnish scientists revealed that radiation from mobiles phones could alter the protein structure of the human skin, although its affect on the health is not yet known.

Similarly Swedish scientists had revealed in the October 2007 issue of the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine that using the mobile phone for just an hour every day for 10 years is enough to increase the risk of developing cancer.

A number of independent research efforts carried out in recent years have pin pointed the dangers posed by excessive use of mobile phones, though the World Health Organization concluded that while there might be some health risks posed by radiation from cell phones, serious health effects such as cancer are unlikely.

Recently a study has been launched under the aegis of the Indian Council of Medical Research in association with JNU''s School of Environmental Sciences and obstetrics & gynecology, neurology and biochemistry departments of AIIMS to assess the ill effects of mobile phone radiation in a conclusive manner.

The above government report also needs to be taken seriously especially by pregnant women and those who use medical aids. It appears that using hands free may also be an option for such people.

Furthermore the report also said that mobile phone advertisers may have to refrain from targeting children and pregnant women in their advertisements. They must also display the specific absorption rate value for each hand set in their user manual so the consumer is aware of exactly what amount of radiation is being emitted by the mobile device, the report added.