No Cancer Link to Cell Phones Says COAI

No Cancer Link to Cell Phones Says COAI

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a mobile communications association representing six of the largest mobile service operators and the majority of telecom equipment manufacturers and network service providers in India, released a statement based on "collated the views of independent experts from various disciplines to dispel the various myths about mobile emissions."

COAI (analogous to CTIA in the States), took to “asserting the truth” behind the highly debated link between mobile technology and cancer. The association brought together experts from various relevant disciplines such as oncology, radiology, molecular and physical science and World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the series "Mobile Networks and Public Health"—to "dispel unwarranted fears of harmful effects health hazards from the emissions from antennae on mobile phone towers and handsets."

Depending on which expert, which organization and which government, harm from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and wireless technologies (radio frequency – RF- radiation) is either a myth as COAI puts it, or a dire concern.

COAI Experts Talk

"We have been using X-ray radiations for more than 115 years, and we still haven’t been able to establish the relationship of cancer and radiation to any great extent. And the mobile tower radiation is inherently a type of radiation that we believe does not produce any kind of significant harm to humans," said Dr. Bhavin Jankharia, a Mumbai based radiologist and President of Indian Radiology & Imaging Association.

The premise of x-rays is supposed to support his theory on mobile, but don’t refuse to wear the lead vest at the dentist just yet. To the question: Do x-rays and gamma rays cause cancer? The American Cancer Society unequivocally says, "Yes."

Evidence for this conclusion comes from a wide variety of sources, according to the organization’s website—from studying atomic bomb survivors, nuclear accident victims, people having been treated with high doses of radiation and those in high–risk professions, like uranium miners.

While those cases seem extreme, the American Cancer Society says, "Most scientists and regulatory agencies agree that even small doses of gamma and x-radiation increase cancer risk."