It has been long that the world is bringing the spotlight on pollution and e-waste and its impacts on environment. However, recent studies have found out that e-waste is equally harmful for humans. For the unversed, e-waste also known as electronic waste, is any electronic product – cell phones, laptops, wi-fi routers, fridge, washing machine, or product containing electronic components, that has reached the end of its usable life cycle. These electronic items contain toxic substances – therefore they must be handled with care when no longer needed. These devices emit Electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which are not compatible to our body. The impact of EMR on the human body can be categorised into thermal and non-thermal effects. Pranav Poddar, Director, Syenergy Environics Ltd points out a few negative health effects of e-pollution and excessive use of gadgets.
High Stress:
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Non thermal effects are infinitely more dangerous as it can’t be felt and can cause cell damage with continuous and high exposure. Our brains interpret these alien waveforms as a threat and try to fight it off, causing high stress levels and fatigue in the body.
Lower immunity:
In the long term, the compromise with out health and increased stress can lead to lower immunity leading to various issues in the body making it prone to the viruses and diseases.
Sleep disorders:
Doctors and researchers have been pointing out the adverse affects of using electronic devices, especially before sleep. It is advisable to keep the electronic devices away before sleeping as the radiation waves can disturb sleep leading to severe insomnia.
Heart issues:
With rapidly increasing cardiac and heart attack issues, researchers have found that excess use of electronic devices or being in close proximity to the electromagnetic radiation can adversely effect our heart.
Low sperm count in men:
According to a study electromagnetic rays can induce oxidative stress with and increased level of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to infertility. This can also negatively affect sperm quality.
ADHD in children:
ADHD, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).
Although these symptoms often describe any young child, when their hyperactivity is too excessive for their age, the symptoms begin to impact school work, affect sleep quality, and the behavior and/or lack of attentiveness begin to create problems at home and school.
Other issues:
Blood flow increases to keep the body temperature constant (thermoregulation)
Metabolic rate increases as a result of increasing the body temperature.
Brain tissue damage: Internal hot spots result in tissue damage (long before the overall body temperature increases) due to the penetration characteristic (about 0.1 of the radiation wavelength). The tissue in the brain is sensitive to the occurrence of the hot-spots. Uncontrolled of these effects are existed during the use of mobile phone and other wireless communication devices due to there are several (shape and size of the head).
How to cure
To mitigate these risks, some common measures can help safeguard our loved ones. Usage of hands-free mode through a wired earphone to create distance from the device is one such easy measure. Restricting the time of usage, especially for children, will also be helpful.
