A lot of people, myself included, are complaining about the disgusting, unreliable service of our telcos. In our area in Makati, for example, we have to run around the house or garden to find a good spot just to take or make a call.

The other day, just when a colleague and I were about to agree on how to proceed with an important event, our cell phone conversation was suddenly cut off, and we could not resume contact for the next half hour. I was told later that beyond a certain time limit, all cell phone conversations are automatically cut off.

I hear that more than half of the households in our area have a similar problem.

The obvious answer is that the telcos have issued more phones, not to mention all their unli text and call promotions, despite their limited cell sites or outdoor distributed antenna system (Odas) network.

Every time we make a cell phone call, we send a signal from our phone’s antenna to the nearest cell site, which assigns an available RF channel, transmitting it to the telco base station. The voice signals we trigger are then sent to a switching center, which transfers the call to the phone of the person we’re calling. In this manner, voice signals are relayed back and forth during the call. But if the cell sites and base station are overloaded already with calls, we have to wait until their load is eased.

Although putting up more Odas seem to be the logical solution to the problem, some residents in affected areas are opposing it because of the perception that increased radio frequency (RF) exposure from the Odas might be a risk factor for cancer.

Cell phones communicate with each other through the cell sites by emitting RF waves, which is a form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and microwaves. Theoretically, they’re considered sources of nonionizing radiation, just like any FM radio, or microwave oven we use in the house.

Nonionizing

The radiation from RF cell sites are nonionizing, meaning they do not directly damage our body’s cells, specifically the DNA inside our cells. Definitely, the radiation exposure from RF waves are much, much less than what we get from the stronger, ionizing types of radiation such as x-rays or CT scans.

Other sources such as gamma rays and ultraviolet (UV) light are believed to be much stronger sources of radiation which—if we’re overexposed to them—could cause cancer.

The RF exposure from Odas or cell phone towers is not enough to break the protective bonds of the DNA molecules in our cells, which may happen with stronger forms of radiation such as x-rays, gamma rays and UV light.

Comparing the RF waves from cell sites with the RF waves from microwave ovens, the levels of energy used by cell phones and cell towers are much, much lower.

The RF from Odas or telco base stations are also much lower than those from radio and TV broadcast stations. Provided the Odas are properly elevated, based on the required standard for the specific type of Odas, the risk of RF exposure is negligible, and way beyond the limits which are known to increase cancer risk in the long term.

The energy from Odas transmits horizontally (parallel to the ground), with minimal downward scatter. The RF signals are also transmitted intermittently, not continuously. These factors mean that the level of exposure to RF waves of people at ground level is very low.

I think one would get more RF radiation with prolonged daily phone calls, which have anecdotally been linked with brain tumors, but not simply living near a cell site.

The US Federal Communication Commission and other regulatory authorities regularly measure the amount of RF radiation at ground level near typical cellular base stations, and their regular updated reports show that the amount of RF energy is hundreds of times less than the limits for safe exposure they have stringently set.

According to them, it is a very remote possibility that people living near cell phone towers could have an increased risk for developing cancer due to their RF exposure from these towers or Odas.

So, for those who are worried that having additional Odas in their village, or going to work or school near a cell phone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems, our fear is really unfounded, based on available scientific evidence.

There is hardly any scientific data to support such a concern, even in theoretical terms. Cigarette smoking or getting exposed to the air pollution on Edsa is hundreds of times more carcinogenic than living near a cell site.