Mobile communication and human health

Today, mobile communication is one of the most successful and fast-developing fields of the radio communication. More and more people use mobile phones as usual and necessary instrument of communication. Quite naturally that in consequence of this mobile operators increase the number of base stations for communication quality enhancement and servicing of growing number of subscribers as well as covering new territories.

However the majority of mobile customers are not acquainted with principles of radio communication, namely GSM-technology. This cause concern of possible negative influence of high-frequency radio signals on health. Many articles are appeared which openly profiteer in people’s concerns. Together with the lack of reliable information, it causes understandable questions from public. Main mobile communication operators of Ukraine have agreed general position of the telecommunications field, content of which are given below.

Official position of the telecommunications field

To date there are over 51 millions subscribers of different mobile operators in Ukraine. Penetration level of mobile communication is approximately 108%. During 10 years the number of mobile subscribers increased in 1000 times in comparison with 1997. Mobile phones became the main instrument of communication and inseparable part of our lives.

The operation of mobile communication is ensured by wide network of base stations (fixed antennas), which transmit data to commutation centers via radio-frequency signals (RF-signals). Today, there are over 1.4 million of base stations are exploited all over the world, approximately 20 000 are located in Ukraine. With the purpose of mobile communication quality enhancement, operators constantly increase number of base stations and make their re-equipment according to the newest technological standards of the field. The very fact of radio-technical objects presence sometimes causes concerns of possible influence of radio signals on customers’ health.

This question has been under close observation of the world community for a long time. During last decade there were conducted hundred researches of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, for example consequences of mobile signals influence on human health.

As a result of conducted researches, World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that: «None of conducted examinations have proved that RF-fields, created by mobile phones or base stations, have negative influence on human health» (http://www.who.int/topics/cellular_phone/).

It is important to know that Ukraine has the strictest standards in the world concerning electromagnetic radiation level safety for elements of mobile communications. Maximum admissible levels of radiation in Ukraine are considerably lower than admissible levels of RF-signals influence of radio and TV transmitters as well as several household devices (such as microwave oven).

One can refer to the results of recent official researches:

• World Health Organization. «Electromagnetic fields and public health», May 2006.
  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs304/en/index.html
• Irish government: experts group. «Electromagnetic fields influence on health», March 2007.
  http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/9E29937F-1A27—4A16-A8C3-F403A623300C/0/ElectromagneticReport.pdf
• Health council of the Netherlands. «Electromagnetic fields. Annual update 2006», February 2007.
  http://www.healthcouncil.nl/pdf.php?ID=1505&p=1