NCC clarifies stance, says mobile phones don’t cause cancer

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, on Tuesday said it never claimed that mobile phones cause cancer.

In a statement released Tuesday, the agency said it never issued any statement or made any presentation to that effect because there is no scientific basis to make such declaration.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, had on Thursday reported that the agency warned Nigerians against the use of sub-standard phones, saying this was responsible for some cancer ailments.

NAN quoted an official of the commission, Kunle Olorundare, as giving the warning at a stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Ibadan Zonal office of NCC at the popular Fayose GSM Market in Ado Ekiti.

Mr. Olorundare allegedly lamented that fake phones had taken over the country’s phone market, adding that they have had negative implications on the health of users.

But the NCC on Tuesday debunked the report.

“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 statement said.

“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 commission advised the general public to visit: www.icnirp.org; www.cancer.co.uk; www.emf-portal.org where studies, writings and other scholarly works related to the matter were published.

NCC, in its statement, also referred to reports by the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) dismissing the claim.

“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,” it said.