Cellphones more dangerous than cigarettes

A renowned neurosurgeon of Indian origin has created ripples here by warning that usage of mobile phones, your inseparable companions, are more hazardous to health than smoking or exposure to asbestos.

Prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation could trigger brain tumour.

Apart from communication, younger users also find mobile phones handy for music and photography and this exposes them more to hazards.

Long-term exposure and its effects on the body, particularly its electrical organs the brain are compounded by numerous other simultaneous exposures including continuous waves from radio and TV transmitters, cordless phone base stations, power lines, and WiFi devices.

The incubation time or latency(The period between commencement of regular mobile phone usage and the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour in a susceptible individual) may be in the order of 10-20 years.

In the years 2008-2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this technology on brain tumour rates."