Mobile radiation causes no health risk: WHO

NEW DELHI: Mobile towers and mobile phone radiations have no health risks and do not cause cancer, a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said. "WHO studies have already proven that mobile phones do not affect human health. Cancer or brain tumour apart, it doesn't cause even headaches or sleep disorder," said radiation expert Michael Repacholi, the first co-ordinator of WHO's radiation and environmental health unit. Talking at the launch of the book "Mobile Phones and Public Health - Myth and Reality" here, Repacholi added: "A person absorbs five times more radio frequency (RF) from FM radio or television than the base station tower. Mobile tower radiation is lower compared to RF emissions from radio FM or television." He also dismissed the views that mobile radiation levels higher than the prescribed limit can have ill effects on human health. The book's editor Ravi VS Prasad said: "Scientific studies from all over the world failed to prove any adverse effects from use of mobile phones and towers. Their energy emissions are one-thousandth of the energy from sunlight, and so can't impact on health." Prasad also highlighted that the Indian standards are ten times more stringent than the already strict international norms, which in turn are one- fiftieth of the level at which there can be any impact on health. TOI