India’s fast growth in cell phone usage has increased the degree of potential health hazards.

The federal health ministry’s decision to commission the country’s first large-scale study on the effects of radio frequency radiations (RFR) from cell phones is therefore a greeting step.

The truth that the health ministry has awakened to the possible risks of cellphone usage is good news. Indians have been using cellphones for over 10 years, and a study of this nature was long overdue.

The world over, there have been similar studies researching the concern of neurological troubles or cancers caused by mobile phone usage.

People have been advised suitably on the potential hazards of mobile phones and recommended period of their utilization. India has been lagging in this field.

The latest five-year study will jointly be conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)'s School of Environmental Sciences and three departments of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) — obstetrics and gynaecology, neurology and biochemistry.
   
They will study RFR’s effect on reproductive health including menstrual cycle, hormonal changes in women, on male reproductive functions and whether it causes defects in the male reproductive tract.

The study is likely to put new light on the impact of mobile phones in the Indian context and help the government regulate the usage of mobile phones.

The study will be a detailed and helpful one as it will analyze the absorption rate — how much RFD is absorbed by our body when a person speak on the mobile phone.

This will assist mobile phone users be more informed and limit their usage time, if required. It will also help industry in incorporating those norms at the stage of manufacturing.