959-981Existence of low level electromagnetic fields in the environment has been
known since antiquity and their biological implications are noted for several
decades. As such dosimetry of such field parameters and their emissions from
various sources of mass utilization has been a subject of constant concern.
Recent advancement in mobile communications has also drawn attention to their
biological effects. Hand held children and adults alike generally use mobile
sources as cordless phones in various positions with respect to the body.
Further, an increasing number of mobile communication base stations have led to
wide ranging concern about possible health effects of radiofrequency emissions.
There are two distinct possibilities by which health could be affected as a
result of radio frequency field exposure. These are thermal effects caused by
holding mobile phones close to the body and extended conversations over a long
period of time. Secondly, there could be possibly non thermal effects from both
phones and base stations whereby the affects could also be cumulative. Some
people may be adversely affected by the environmental impact of mobile phone
base stations situated near their homes, schools or any other place. In
addition to mobile phones, appliances like microwave oven etc are also in
increasing use. Apart from the controversy over the possible health effects due
to the non-thermal effect of electromagnetic fields the electromagnetic
interaction of portable radio waves with human head needs to be quantitatively
evaluated. Relating to this is the criteria of safe exposure to the population
at large. While a lot of efforts have gone into resolving the issue, a clear
picture has yet to emerge. Recent advances and the problems relating to the
safety criteria are discussed