Keeping phone in pocket affects ovaries: Experts

Living close to mobile towers is like being in a life-size microwave., said  Dr Girish Kumar, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, while speaking at a seminar at Nehru Science Centre, Worli on Thursday.

Experts, activists students and mediapersons had gathered to discuss and debate the link between mobile towers and cancer.

Experts with opposing viewpoints argued about effects that mobile radiation could have on people and whether regulations and norms laid down by the government need to be altered.

According to the World Health Organisation, radiation  can be as cancer-causing as foods like coffee or pickle, said Dr Kumar. “While you can choose when and how much of those foods to have, people are continuously exposed to radiation for years,” he said.

The panel of experts also highlighted dangers of overusing a mobile phone. Dr Anand Gokani, a consulting physician from Bombay Hospital, Marine Lines, said that waves from the phone enter from the ear canal and can cause auditory nerve tumour.

“The number of cases of women with fertility problems issues is on the rise as they keep the phone in their pockets, close to their ovaries,” said Dr Gokani.

Dr Srikumar Banerjee from  Bhabha Atomic Research Centre said that the pros of nuclear radiation often outweigh the cons. “Radiation can cure an ailing cancer patient but the problem lies in overexposure,” he said.