CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

There is no doubt that electricity is the main factors for today's civilization . Nowadays the
power from the electricity is the primary source of energy for the contemporary technological
world . The electrical power consist of two fields ; electrical field (EF) and magnetic field (MF)
generally known as electromagnetic field which is very much useful . But the same time , one
should be aware about the harmful effects of radiation from the electromagnetic field which is
known as electromagnetic radiation . It is narrative that high power transmission line , video
display unit , computer , laptop , fridge, router , many other home appliances , office equipment
, also laboratory equipment in every schools , colleges and university radiates energy whatever
small it maybe ( Quamuruzzaman etal 2020 ) .

Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that is all around us and takes many forms such as
radio waves , micro waves , X-rays and gamma rays. Sunlight is also a form of electromagnetic
energy but light is only a small portion of electromagnetic spectrum which contains a broad
range of electromagnetic wavelengths ( Jim , 2022 ). Electromagnetic radiation is produced
when ever a charged particle such as an electron changes it's velocity I. e whenever it is
accelerated or decelerated . In terms of the modern quantum theory , electromagnetic
radiation is the flow of photons ( also called light quanta ) through space . Electromagnetic
radiation in classical physics , the flow energy at the universal speed of light through free space
or through a material medium the in the form of the magnetic and electric field that make up
the electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light and gamma rays ( Melba etal 2024
). Electromagnetic radiation exhibit wave like properties such as reflection, refraction,
diffraction and interference but also exhibit particle like properties in that it energy occurs in
discrete packet or quanta . The higher the frequencies of electromagnetic radiation consisting
of x-rays, and gamma rays are types of ionizing radiation . Lower frequency radiation consisting
of ultraviolet (UV ) , infrared, microwaves , radio frequency (RF), and extremely low frequency
(ELF) are types of non - ionizing radiation. People are exposed to natural radiation sources as
well as human made sources on daily basis. Natural radiation comes from many sources
including more than 60 naturally occurring radioactive materials found in soil , water , and air .
Radon naturally occurring gas , emanates from rock and soil is the main source of natural
radiation. Every day people inhale and ingest radionuclides from air , food and water . People
are also exposed to radiation from cosmic rays, particularly at high altitude; on average 80% of
the annual dose of background radiation that a person receives is due to natural occuring
terrestrial and cosmic radiation sources . Background radiation level vary geographically due to
geological differences . Exposure in certain areas can be more than 200 times higher than the
global average exposure to radiation also comes from human made sources ranging from
nuclear power generation to medical uses of radiation for treatment. Today , the most common
human made sources of ionizing radiation are medical devices including X-ray machines and
computed tomography (CT) scanners (WHO 2023).

Exposure to radiation may occur through internal or external pathway . Internal exposure to
radiation occurs when radionuclide is inhaled , ingest or otherwise enters into the blood stream
while external exposure may occur when air air borne radioactive material ( such as dust , liquid
, or aerosols ) is depositted on skin or cloth ( WHO 2023). These cause invisible threats to our
health. Prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields has been shown to cause physiological
change in human tissues and according to some researchers is link to cancer , leukemia,
neurodegenerative disorders and all manner of diseases (Sumana , 2014)

Radiation damage to tissue and / or organs is radiation dose dependent. The international (SI)
unit of measure for absorbed dose is the Gray (Gy) . The various factors for potential damage
from an absorbed dose are the type of radiation and the sensitivity of different tissues and
organs. Equivalent dose is the measure of the biological effect, which depends on the amount
absorbed dose and the sensitivity in living cells caused by different radiations . The unit of
equivalent dose is the sievert (SV). Practically smaller units such as millisieverts (MSV) or micro
sievert ( SV)are used (Sunil , 2021 ). The typical effective doses in various imaging modalities in
msv are : (1) X-ray examination - limbs and joints 0.01 ,chest (PA) 0.015 , Abdomen 0.4 , lumber
spine 0.6 (2) computed tomography (CT) scans -head 7 , PET - CT ( positron Emission
Tomography) head 7, PET -CT (Sausville , 2015 ). Long term use of Xrays , CT scans can also
modify genetic properties in a living organism and cause variation leading to cancer (Batool,
etal 2019 )

Skin cancer incidence rise over the past decades is strongly related to increasingly popular
outdoor activities and recreational exposure . Over exposure to sunlight causes harmful effects
on the skin , eye , and immune system. Protection is provided by shade, clothing and hats. Parts
of the body that remains exposed like the face and hands should be protected with sunscreens
(WHO 2020 ).

Several studies have reported findings such as stress , headache tiredness, anxiety, decreased
learning potential, impairment in cognitive functions and poor concentration in case of
exposure to micro wave radiation emitted from mobile phones (El fide , etal 2017 ). Mobile
phone technology has revolutionized the indian telecommunication scenario; more than 1000
crore people are using mobile phones . All in all a major problem is the growing concern of
public about the harmful effect on the health of the interaction between electromagnetic
radiation and the human body ( Mohan , 2014). The rate at which radiation is absorbed by the
human body is measured by the specific absorption rate (SAR) and it's maximum levels for
modern handset is set between 1.6 to 2 w/kg averaged for 1gramm tissue . If the SAR level is
above the limit, it may cause both thermal and non thermal effects on the body especially on
the ear and the head dice these are at the "Near field " of the radiation . Some users of mobile
phone feel several unspecific symptoms during and after the use of the mobile phone. All these
may be due to the influence of the radiation on the bio magnetic field of the body. The unit of
SAR is watts per kilogram (w/kg)(Tarek , 2014).

Studies conducted by Aladjadjiyan (2010), Amirnia (2014), Abu Elsaoud (2015); Jakubowski
(2015) and Mohsenkhah etal ( 2018 ); whose indicated that micro waves can be used as a
method of seed germination improvement in pepper, wheat , bean , soya beans and lentil
respectively (Samir , 2020). There are certain easy measures that we can follow in our daily life
to minimize the exposure of such radiation. This study is carried out to review the effect of
electromagnetic radiation on the human health in various sitution in Edjeba , Ogunnu and
Agbassa community in Warri South Local Government.

1.2. STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The increasing exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from various sources such as
mobile phones, wireless networks and electrical appliance's has raised concern about it's
potential impact on human health. Despite the wide spread of the use of these technologies,
the effect of electromagnetic radiation on human health are not yet fully understood, and
existing research has yielded inconsistent and sometime contradictory findings . The WHO'S
international agency for research on cancer (IARC) categorized exposure to RF and microwaves
as possible carcinogen to humans in 2011(James , 2022). These problem is suffered by most
people in Nigeria knowingly or unknowingly especially children, pregnant women and advanced
adults,; which calls for further research.

1.3 .AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

The main aim of the research work is to determine the effect of electromagnetic radiation on
human healths . Other specific objectives of the study are :

(1) To review and synthesize existing research on the effect of electromagnetic radiation on
human health, identifying gaps and inconsistencies in the literature
(ii) To investigate the relationship between electromagnetic radiation exposure and specific
health outcomes such as cancer , neurological effects, reproductive problems , DNA damage
and cardiovascular disease's

(iii) To provide recommendations for policy makers, health care professionals and the general
public on safe levels of EMR exposure and prevention measure

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study came up with research questions so as to ascertain the above stated objectives
of the study . The research question for the study are :-

(i) What are the harmful effect of electromagnetic radiation on human health

(ii) What is the awareness level of electromagnetic radiation among individuals living in Edjeba,
Ogunnu and Agbassa

(iii) Which population are most vulnerable to the effect of electromagnetic radiation including
children, pregnant women and adults.

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Ho Electromagnetic radiation exposure has no significant effect on human health

Hi Electromagnetic radiation has advanced effects on human health

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

(I) The study aim to determine whether electromagnetic radiation exposure is associated
with adverse health effect which is crucial for informing public health policy and guidelines.

(ii) The study can raise awareness among the general public , health care professionals and
policy makers about the potential health effects of electromagnetic radiation exposure
 (iii) The study can inform the development of new technologies with reduced exposure risk

1.7 SCOPE Of THE STUDY

The study on the effect of electromagnetic radiation on human health will cover on
radiation, types of electromagnetic radiation, health outcomes, study population ( children ,
pregnant women and adults) exposure level . The research is conducted in Edjeba, Ogunnu and
Agbassa community in Warri South Local Government, Delta state .

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

- Financial constraints : insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the

researcher in sourcing for the relevant material / resources for data collection and analysis

- Time constraint : The researcher will simultaneously engaged in this study with other
academia work . This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for research work

- Limited generalizability : study population may not be representative of the general

population

1.9 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

(I) Electromagnetic radiation : Energy emitted in the form of electromagnetic waves ,

including radio frequency, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma
radiation

(ii) Radio frequency (RF) Radiation : Electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between
3KHZ and 300 GHZ including mobile phone , WIFI and Bluetooth signals.

(iii) Specific absorption rate SAR) : Measure of the amount of RF energy absorbed by the
body when using a mobile phone or other device
 (iv) Electromagnetic field : Region around an electrical device where electromagnetic
radiation is present

(v) Thermal effects : Heating of tissues due to absorption of electromagnetic radiation

(vi) Non thermal effects: Biological effect of electromagnetic radiation not related to
heating such as changes in cell signalling and DNA damage

(viii) cancer : A disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body
tissue

2.0 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The telecommunication devices ( mobile phone, WIFI, computer , television etc) have proved
to have revolutionary effects in terms of communication anywhere, anytime all over the
world, however it is mostly accompanied with electromagnetic radiation hazards. The human
body has the ability to absorb these radiations , might be harmful and can cause even
different diseases like cancers , mental disorders, neurological illness, fetal abnormalities,
cardiovascular disease's etc ( Batool etal 2019) .

Epidemiology studies have revealed worldwide rise of certain health conditions such as sleep
disorder (D kocevska , etal 2021), infertility (Vander etal , 2018), psy-chiatric disorder and
cancer (Torre ,etal 2018). The rise has been generally attributed to worsened environment
such as work stress and air or water pollution. Although it remains unclear whether EMR
constitutes one of these environmental factors, public concern is growing over the safety of
EMR, particularly in the microwave

frequency. Unfortunately, investigations on the effects of EMR have often been controversial.
In 2011, a World Health Organi-zation (WHO)-authorized agency classified 30-kHz to 300-GHz
EMR as possibly carcinogenic (Lingyu , etal 2021). In 2014, however, a WHO project found no
adverse health effects by mobile phone use (Lingyu etal 2021).More recently, EMR was
reported to adversely affect the central nervous system, causing sleep disorder (Danker etal
2016) and learning/memoryimpairment in humans.
There are also concerns about the effect that EMF exposure have on pregnant women during
the different stages of foetal growth.

Several studies have been conducted on the effect of electromagnetic field exposure on
pregnancy , although conflicting results have been reported regarding early foetal death ,
feotal abnormalities and behavioral changes in the infant after birth (Hosseini etal 2016 )

Kushpal et al.(2016) presented a study on the effect of electromagnetic radiations(EMR) from

mobile phone base stationon general health and salivary function. The authors used twenty
individuals residing very close to selected four mobile base stations in India. Questions related
to sleep disturbances and other health problems were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep
Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI is a widely used questionnaire that assess sleep quality and
identifies sleep disorders . The PSQI consist of 19 questions that evaluate various settings,
including research, clinical practice and epidemiology studies . A Chisquare test was used for
the statistical analysis. The result showed that the majority of the people complained of sleep
disturbances, dizziness, headache, hypertension and concentration difficulties

.Gallastegi et al. (2018),studied the effect of RF-EMF exposure in children. They used 104
children of 8years old and identified the locations(homes, school playground) and sources that
contributed to a high level of vulnerability. Results showed that median exposure levels ranged
from 29.73 µW/ m2 (0.11 V/m, 0.38% of the ICNIRP reference level) in children’s bedrooms to
200.10 µW/m2 (0.27 V/m, 0.88% of the ICNIRP reference level) in school playgroundswere
higher at outdoors than indoors. The authors discovered that signals sent from cell towers to
mobile phone and FM radio signal s are sources that contributed most to the exposure.

Chiaramello et al. (2019), presented research efforts on radio frequency radiation exposure in
indoor environments over the last ten years. The authors considered different RF-EMF sources
that can cause exposure in indoor environments

and reported that the maximum mean levels of the exposure were found in offices (1.14 V/m)
and public transports (0.97 V/m), while the homes and apartment had the minimum levels of
exposure with mean values that in the range 0.13–0.43 V/m. Additionally epidemiology survey
on EMF health effects due to photocopy machines used in Dhaka were examined ( Haque etal
2015 ). An epidemiology survey was performed on operators / users of cathode ray tube
monitor ( CRT) for possible EMF effect (Haque etal 2015) . All these were carried out to
determine the effect of electromagnetic radiation. However the present review literature was
designed to investigate whether the symptoms of health diseases reported by young adult may
be linked with the use of mobile phone, computer , laptops, TV , microwaves and to analyze it's
effect on young adults and as well as to know whether they are aware of how one is expose to
it and it's effect.
2.0. ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

In the year 1820 , the scientist Orsted noticed that current passed through a wire , it would
create / produce a lot of magnetic field which would affect a near by magnetic materials such as
iron fillings . He noticed that the iron fillings near the wire were aligned in a specific pattern
indicating the presence of a magnetic field .

This shows the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the material and that all radiations with
different names in all bands of spectrum have an effect on a specific substance according to the
frequency and wavelength . They all have the same properties but different wavelength and
frequency (Mohammed, 2021)

Electromagnetic radiation in classical physics is the flow of energy at the universal speed of light
through free space or through material medium in the form of the magnetic and electric field
that make up electromagnetic waves . These waves oscillates at frequencies that can vary from
a few cycle per second ( hertz) to more than