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NCC Tasks Natcoms Seminar Participants On Health Hazards
Nigeria Created: 15 Nov 2007
Opinions were sharply divided on the controversial and debateable issue of radiation health risks associated with the use of mobile phones at a seminar organised at the weekend in Muson Centre, Onikan - Lagos by the National Association of Telecommunications subscribers, NATCOMS.

While the four leading guest speakers were unanimous in their presentation, insisting that the use of mobile phones has radiation health risks associated with it, operators present at the forum posited that there was the basic need to have a fundamental understanding of how a base station generates electromagnetic waves, arguing that GSM operators implement radio frequency (RF) compliance rules necessary to ensure that both the general public and occupational worker are exposed only to safe levels of emission. In this direction, they argued that there is/are no concrete evidence(s) to prove that there are radiation health risks associated with the use of mobile phones even as they enjoined the guest speakers to do more research into their claims.

"With respect to the international commission on non-ionizing radiation protection, (ICNIRP) public exposure guidelines, the World Health Organisation, WHO currently regards the implementation of any additional safety factors on account of perceived health risks as being without scientific basis and therefore undermining the existing status that ICNIRP enjoys world-wide," the operators said. They, however, agreed that if electromagnetic emission levels are sufficiently intense, then radio frequency energy can cause health effects.

Delivering two papers titled: Physical Principles of cell-phones and use of Radiation; and Safety and Protection in the use of cell-phones respectively, Dr. M. A. Aweda, a Research Medical Physicist came hard with facts maintaining that there are indeed radiation health risks associated with use of mobile phones.

In her contribution, director, Consumer Affairs Department, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mrs. Lolia S. Emakpore, disclosed that the commission has created a department which takes care of the interest of the consumers, adding that the NCC is worried about the issue of cell phones and its health implication.

She therefore, tasked the seminar participants to seek ways of managing the possible health hazards even as she disclosed that although WHO has not actually been able to come up with concrete evidence on the health hazards associated with the use of mobile phone, the NCC top official, however, said that the commission was ready to work with anyone that will join forces with it on how best "we can manage the technology we have on hand."

Earlier in an address, the national president of NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo said the Association was prepared to continuously provide the desired platform for telecoms subscribers to brainstorm on issues that bordered on their health and related matters, adding that NATCOMS, as part of its commitment to present a platform for various stakeholders, corporate bodies, relevant organisations and individuals is also poised to set agenda for government and policy makers on telecommunications as well as strengthen its commitment to educate, inform and enlighten telecoms consumers on consumer protection issues, concerns and rights.
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Source: AllAfrica.com, Peter Ailuorio, 14 Nov 2007

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