<div><em><strong>Puneet Mehrotra </strong>is sure that a few years down the line, people will look back at the radiation smog in the same sense of disbelief the way we look at the 1952 London smog</em><br><br><br>One of the biggest hazards of technological innovation and so called smart devices is radiation. From reduction in sperm count to electromagnetic radiation impacting pregnant women, there is evidence to suggest increasing stress levels, incidents of certain cancers from medium to long term exposure to radiation. The threat of radiation is real.</div><div> </div><div><strong>The Great Smog of 2015</strong></div><div>The great smog of London of 1952 equivalent in our time is the radiation we are living in. If that the former was significant of the Industrial revolution, the latter is significant of the Information Technology revolution. </div><div> </div><div> Radiation is a fact and not fiction. Any decent laboratory around the world can vouch for that. Yet due to vested interests and the enormous industry investments the issue is rarely highlighted with a sense of urgency. Radiation doesn’t discriminate between the rich and poor or the urban and rural. Everyone is affected by it, whether you like it or not.</div><div> </div><div><strong>The Effect of Radiation</strong></div><div>According to Dr Vini Khurana, a top Australian neurosurgeon says the world's heavy reliance on cell phones could be a greater threat to human health than smoking and even asbestos.</div><div> </div><div>Dr Khurana, who is a staff specialist neurosurgeon at the Canberra Hospital and an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University, said there had been increased reports of brain tumours associated with heavy and prolonged cell phone use, particularly on the same side as the person's "preferred ear" for making calls.</div><div> </div><div>Prolonged exposure to Electromagnetic Radiations from Mobile Phones, Computers and other personal Electronic Gadgets can cause:</div><div>●<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Short term effects such as Headaches, Dizziness, Nausea & Fatigue.</div><div>●<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lower sperm count in men – The harm is done simply by keeping a mobile phone switched on in one’s pocket.</div><div>●<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Risk to development of fetus in pregnant women.</div><div>●<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Increased Stress Levels and risk to Heart – Tachycardia.</div><div>●<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Glioma, Brain Tumour and Cancer in extreme cases.</div><div> </div><div>According to Pranav Poddar of EnviroChip, a radiation prevention chip maker, “Radiation can be classified as having: thermal effect and non-thermal effects. The thermal effects have been largely studied and referred to the heat that is generated due to absorption of Radiation. Being exposed to the thermal effect could cause fatigue, cataracts and reduced mental concentration. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value has been fixed and specified for mobile phones to limit the thermal damage. However, more research is going on to study the Non-Thermal effects of radiation.”</div><div> </div><div><strong>Taking Responsibility</strong></div><div>The first step to change is taking responsibility. Living in denial, pretending that radiation doesn’t exist or that we are not affected by radiation or that industry will be affected wont help. What will certainly help is taking steps to prevent radiation. </div><div> </div><div><strong>Litigation and Cigarette Industry</strong></div><div>Probably the single biggest reason that bent the powerful cigarette industry was litigation in the USA. Take for instance the case of Cynthia Robinson. The Florida widow recently won a $23.6 billion lawsuit against tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, one of the largest recent judgments on the industry, and in an interview with TIME, she says she hopes they listen to the jury’s message.</div><div> </div><div>Her lawsuit was centered around cigarettes were addictive and caused lung cancer, but the company was negligent in telling smokers like Johnson about those risks.<br> </div><div>While it was possible for Cynthia to establish the link between her husband’s death and cancer caused by smoking, it may not be easy to establish the link between certain cancers and radiation, at least as of now. </div><div> </div><div>Telecommunications, mobility and smart device manufacturing, are all part of the cash cow circle of the government revenues. It will probably take litigation, may be years before the government may act. Companies like Airtel, Vodafone and others have little priority or urgency on installing radiation prevention technology. Noteworthy is this technology is available, yet the industry is not interested in it as yet.</div><div> </div><div>That leaves the consumer with the age old adage “prevention is the best cure”.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Radiation Prevention Chips</strong></div><div>Take the Envirochip for instance. Envirochip is a Radiation Protector Chip which when fixed on a Mobile Phone, neutralizes the harmful effects of Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) emitted from the Mobile Phone completely.</div><div> </div><div>According to Pranav Poddar, CEO of Envirochip “This is done by changing the nature of harmful radiations and making it non-bio-effective for the human body without reducing the signal strength or quality from the device. The Envirochip has been tested extensively by reputed medical institutions in India and a lab in UK. “</div><div> </div><div>According to him, the benefits of these chips have been tested. Tests on more than 500 people have shown that their Stress levels have reduced by over 5%, which is medically significant. Improvements can be seen in various health parameters such as Pulse rate and Immunity. Fix the Envirochip on the back of your Mobile Phone and you are safe. Envirochip on Flipkart for around Rs.500. </div><div> </div><div>There is another one by Art of Living- Anti Radiation Chip, certified by Max Healthcare. A search on Google yields several results of chips ranging from Rs.199. However look for who is the certifying authority, users reviews besides besides any tests the chip may have undergone.</div><div> </div><div><strong>The Last Word</strong></div><div>An optimist that I am I relate electromagnetic radiation the same way as the Industrial revolution and the pollution in London in early last century, simply a phase of transition as technology advances. The great smog of 1952 due to industrial production from the coal-fired power stations in the Greater London area is something of the past now. London has more vehicles than it has ever had, more people living in it, even more consumption, yet the air is cleaner. The reason is technological advancements. A $26 billion victory against a tobacco company, a few decades ago such victory would have been almost impossible. Yet in 2014 it happened. </div><div> </div><div>Similarly it make take maybe litigation, government policy, industry initiatives or whatever else. I do know for sure a few years down the line, people will look back at the radiation smog in the same sense of disbelief the way we look at the 1952 London smog</div><div> </div><div><em>Puneet Mehrotra is a columnist on life and technology<br> puneet.im <br>puneet@tbe.in</em></div><div> </div>
