Cell Phone Tower Radiations And Associated Health Hazards In Hilla City, Babylon, Iraq

Abstract

Background: The obvious increase in mobile phone base stations in Iraq after the  year 2003 has raised worries about potential nonspecific health symptoms affected  by electromagnetic radiation produced. Studies on this issue in Iraq were scarce.  Objective of the study: To identify the possible nonspecific health problems  among adult inhabitants who lived for five years or more at a distance of up to  300 meters from mobile phone base stations and towers compared to those who  lived far away from cell phone towers (500 meters and more). Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in Hilla city, Babylon province, during  the period from November 2017 through February 2018. A non-probability  (purposive sample) was selected from populations living in AL-Hilla urban  regions for more than five years close to four randomly selected base station towers  and those who lived in areas more than 500 meters from the same cell towers. A  convenience sample constituted 278 adults aged 18 years and above of both sexes  who were investigated after obtaining their verbal consent and who had completed  a pretested questionnaire that focused on the subjective symptoms they suffered  from via in-depth face-to-face interviews. Results: The findings of the current  study revealed a statistically significant increase in ill-health effects (prevalence  of nonspecific symptoms) <0.05 among those living in the locality <300 meters  from mobile telephone base stations compared to those who lived far away from  the mobile phone stations >500 meters. The strongest associations (<0.01) were  fatigue, headache, sleeping disorders, difficulty in concentration, and dizziness.  The male-to-female ratio in this study was 1.5:1. The social problems related  to this health issue included that only one in five of the participants mentioned  that they were informed before setting the stations near their houses, and 75%  of inhabitants near the stations reported conflicts with the owner of the building  where the cell phone tower was placed. Conclusion: The study found significant  health-related nonspecific symptoms (headache, fatigue, and sleep disturbance)  among adults living close to mobile telephone base stations compared to those  who lived far away. It is sensible that mobile telephone base stations be located at  least 500 meters from the houses of inhabitants.