Cell phone use and ill health: Is there a definite relationship?

Abstract

With the advent of the global use of cell phones, there have been concerns about their impact on the health of users. Interestingly, cell phone use is now an integral part of modern day communication between persons. In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that there were 6.9 billion subscriptions globally and that in some parts of the world, mobile phones are the most reliable or the only phones available.¹ Various studies have been conducted, although some are inconclusive on the link of cell phone use and ill health. Cell phones communicate by transmitting radio waves through a network of fixed antennas called base stations. Radio-frequency waves are electromagnetic fields, and unlike ionizing radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays, can neither break chemical bonds nor cause ionization in the human body.¹