Doctors caution on hazards of Wi-Fi use

Concern over keeping Wi-Fi routers active in houses

Hyderabad: Even as the TRS and BJP-TDP combine have promised in their manifestoes to make Hyderabad into a Wi-Fi city, the city-based doctors caution that it would contribute to increasing number of cancer cases since the devices installed throughout the city would only augment the radiation emission and causes exposure to continuous EMF (electromagnetic field).

TRS and BJP-TDP combine, in their GHMC manifestoes have promised to turn the city into round the clock Wi-Fi network. The TRS government has already rolled out Wi-Fi service at 30 hotspots. This includes Hussainsagar Lake, Cyber Towers, Charminar, Gandhi Hospital, NIMS, Birla Mandir area and Public Gardens.

It plans to extend Wi-Fi to Salar Jung Museum, Golconda Fort, Falaknuma Palace, MG Bus Station, Jubilee Bus Station and other historic locations. Cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Mysuru, Varanasi and Kolkata also offer public Wi-Fi at a few spots, but none of the cities have Wi-Fi network available across the city.

The doctors have expressed concern over the fact that growing number of households has been keeping Wi-Fi routers active in their houses which emits radiation. The children’s brains are delicate and the radiation affects them directly, they point out. They suggested to turn off the Wi-Fi when not in use. “Don’t keep it on throughout, as it is causing problem,” says Dr Praveen Kumar Saxena of Centre for Progressive Medicine.

It is being argued that no city across the country or at global level is having Wi-Fi given the ill effects like radiation. While referring to the research conducted by Devra lee Davis and other scientists based in US, it is being argued that radiation emitted by cell phones and Wi-Fi impacts children’s development, their cognitive function, attention, memory, perception, learning capacity, emotions and social skills. Cancer is believed to be a result from changes in DNA.

DNA’s coil structure makes it exquisitely sensitive to electromagnetic field more than other tissue in the body. “If I get an opportunity, I shall explain IT Minister KT Rama Rao. He will surely remove Wi-Fi from his house,” says Saxena confidently who is also Clinical Metal Toxicologist.

In May 2015, 195 scientists from 39 countries represented to the United Nations Organisation, World Health Organisation (WHO) and national governments to develop stricter controls on cell phones and other products that create electromagnetic fields. While the government has been arguing that it is not scientifically established.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given the permission to companies to set up cell phone towers. “If TRAI thinks there is some science and truth in it, they will stop automatically. If it causes cancer, it will not happen in Hyderabad only. It will be in the entire world. If it is proven harmful, the whole world will stop,” says Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana State IT Secretary.

He explained that there was a misunderstanding that entire city would be covered under Wi-Fi network. But the government would be coming up with only 3,000 hot stops, where people gather, like bus stops, market places, shopping malls, places of tourists’ interest and colleges, he said.