The attention of
the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has been drawn to reports in some mass
media ostensibly quoting the Commission to the effect that mobile phones cause
cancer.
The Commission
wishes to state unequivocally that it never issued any statement or made any
presentation to that effect because there is no scientific basis to make such
declaration.
To put the records
straight, last week the Commission in its tradition of consistent engagement
with all its stakeholders irrespective of location, organized a stakeholder
forum in Ado Ekiti on type approval processes, with a focus on mobile devices.
The event held at Fayose Market at the GSM Village.
At the event, the
Commission’s representative told the participants to ensure that the devices
they sell and use are type approved - certified by the NCC in compliance with
the regulations and guidelines of the Commission.
The Commission
wishes to restate its commitment not only to the protection of consumer rights
but also to consumers’ education that help all stakeholders to take informed
decisions. Accordingly, the Commission hereby reiterates that many studies have
been conducted on the effects of non-ionizing radiation and there is no
conclusive evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases the risk of cancer.
The general public
may wish to visit: www.icnirp.org; www.cancer.co.uk;
www.emf-portal.org where
studies, writings and other scholarly works related to this matter have been
published.
Indeed, according to the World Health Organization, WHO:
“A large number of
studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile
phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have
been established as being caused by mobile phone use” www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en (Accessed September 5, 2017).
The International
Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) also states:
“Acute and
long-term effects of HF exposure from the use of mobile phones have been
studied extensively without showing any conclusive evidence of adverse health
effects.”
Finally, there is
a parameter called Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) which has a threshold below which
it is safe to use a phone, and all phones approved by the Commission have SAR
below the threshold mark which make those phones safe for use.
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