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Speaking during the World Meteorological Day commemorations in Tsholotsho on Friday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development, Mr Partson Mbiriri, said although cellphones were a convenient mode of communication, they had negative health effects.
“We applaud the increase in the installation of cellphone boosters in remote areas of the country. This means people would easily communicate and be connected with their friends and families from different places.
“However, in terms of intensity the rays of a cellphone as it radiates its signals are just below that of a microwave. This means that as we use cellphones we are busy cooking our ears,” said Mr Mbiriri.
“We should make sure that our communication is as brief as possible. This is a fact. Some of the consequences might not be realised now. The effect is just the same as those who live near power stations. Those of us who have cellphones should be careful how we use them.”
The chairperson of the department of Electronics Engineering in the Faculty of Industrial Technology at the National University of Science and Technology, Mr Zedekia Nyathi, said cellphones had a damaging effect on the body.
“The issue is that a cellphone at a frequency where it is working has electromagnetic radiation. That radiation is the same as that used in microwaves in warming food.
That is why the amount of radiation in cellphones must be limited because it will be like cooking our ears,” said Mr Nyathi in a telephone interview yesterday.
“This can result in the damage of the nervous system. Cellphones should thus be monitored to ensure that their radiation does not exceed approved levels.”
Mr Nyathi could, however, not be drawn into explaining what kind of diseases one could suffer from because of the effect.
According to the National Cancer Institute website, cellphones emit radio frequency energy, a form of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation which could be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held, especially the brain.
The institute further states that radio frequency energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation, which is known to increase the risk of cancer because of the biological effect of heating.
Comment could not be obtained from mobile phone operators yesterday as they requested to have questions in writing and had not responded by the end of the day.
Online Reporter