The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) is conducting a study on health hazard by usage of cellphone handsets, a first-of-its-kind study in the country.
The study as of now is being conducted in Mumbai alone but as it progresses and the results are standardised, it will be extended to other metros. It will also study if the radiation from the cellphone towers could cause cancer, as has been the notion.
The project took off when the International Agency For Research on Cancer (IARC) contacted the epidemiology department at TMC to join the study, which was being conducted worldwide. “When IARC contacted us, we agreed readily but we had to make certain modifications in the protocol of the proposed study. IARC was focusing mainly on children while we were inclined to a more inclusive population study,” said chief of epidemiology, Dr Rajesh Dikshit.
The study is being conducted in the city with a sample size of 1,000 — 500 in control group and 500 in random. The age group of the sample size is between 10 and 60 years. However, in the control group, there is a further division of the age group, i.e. 10-24 years and 25-60 years. The TMC has received funding from the department of atomic energy to carry out the study.
“In the first phase of the study, we are looking at habits and trends of cellphone handset usage. For instance, what is the duration for which people are using the handsets, for what duration is the handset being used for talking and other purposes like gaming and other activities in which case cellphone is not in direct contact with the brain,” said Dr Dikshit.
The study, in its nascent stage is focussing on handsets alone, but the chief investigator of the study Dr Dikshit informed that as the results will be standardised, it would be extended to study if radiation from cellphone towers are capable of causing cancer. “All India Institute of Medical Science in Delhi has already approached us and so has Chennai,” said Dr Dikhshit.