Long Use Of Cells Phone Has Implications

Ghana's renowned ICT wizkid Herman Chinery-Hesse, on his cell phone

THE DEPUTY Director of Engineering of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Henry Kanor has cautioned cell phone subscribers against long use of mobile telephones on the ear.

According to him, the long usage has negative health implications on the individual, rekindling the widespread controversy about mobile phones usage and its health implications.

According to Mr. Kanor, cellular phones emit radiofrequency energy known as radio waves, a form of non-ionizing radiation that could cause health problems for the user.

Speaking at a sensitization forum in Obuasi on electromagnetic fields exposure and health implication, the Deputy Director said, as the number of calls per day, length of each call, and the amount of time people used cell phones have increased, it was important for users to use hands-free.

For him, it would be better for people to resort text-messaging for long communication to save them from any possible health implication.

The forum was a joint public education campaign of the Ministry of Communication and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC).

Desmond Boakye, director at the Ministry of Communications, said the 21 st  century had witnessed an explosion of technological applications that rely on electricity and thus produce electromagnetic fields: 'We cannot avoid this because technology makes our lives healthier, wealthier and safer. It is a major contributor to the economic and social progress that enhances our quality of life as Ghanaians,' he noted.

'As of March this year, 2013, there were 26, 464, 964 telephone subscribers or mobile phones users in Ghana - each one with its own electromagnetic fields,' he disclosed.