Green Communication- A Stipulation to Reduce Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity from Cellular Phone

Abstract

With the introduction of wireless communication technologies cellular phones and base stations became more prominent. Since wireless technology has come into existence in the last decades but now the radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation exposure levels has amplified many folds because of the extensive use of cellular phone. In general, cellular phones irradiate an average power of 0.2-0.6 watts when operated near to the head and likely 40-50% electromagnetic radiation (EMR) absorbed into the brain. In order to reduce EMR from wireless devices or cellular phones, debates for green communication have been initiated and highly appreciated by technocrats or innovators. In this study we are lighting over the stipulation of green communication in terms of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) among cellular users from its irradiation. Prevalence of EHS for Headache symptom was assessed among 659 cellular phone users in India. Risk assessment was made on the basis of age, gender and ethnicity. Study also aimed to compare ‘headache’ among 4 individual groups, i.e., low users (LU), normal users (NU), moderate users (MU) and heavy users (HU). The questionnaire was designed to collect the information for demographic and social characteristics, cellular phone utilization patterns, association of the symptom to the subjects and awareness over the safety measures to reduce the cellular phone's exposure. The overall 92 users reported headache and association of headache symptom was found greater with normal, moderate and heavy cellular phone users when compared to low users. Although significant association were not found within these individual groups in overall analysis but a trend (p=0.091) was observed among moderate users. Risk of headache among moderate users was 1.6 fold increased (95% CI: 0.925 – 2.827) than the low users. The risk at significant level was not found on the basis of gender, ethnicity and age, yet moderate users those belong to rural areas, had more than 3 times increased risk (OR-3.438; CI: 1.117-10.58) of headache than the low users of same ethnicity. Furthermore, concept of green communication would play a vital role to minimize the cellular irradiation and then possibilities of EHS can be reduced among cellular users.