We often say that modern science and technology has revolutionised communication. This is correct. After the invention of radio in 1896 by Guglielmo Marconi, the world has made rapid strides in communication technology. In just a span of 125 years, from simple radio receivers, we have come a long way to mobile wireless devices for comprehensive communication.
Humans toss millions of cell phones each year in favour of newer technology—and all those discarded phones may be taking a toll on the environment. Electronic scrap accounts for 70 per cent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills in the U.S.A. According to US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), 141 million mobile phones were discarded in 2009 and only 12 million or 8 per cent of those were collected for recycling. The figure, in 2025, has risen to about 22 per cent.
A cell phone’s shelf life is only about 24 months for the average user. This means that newer cell phone models are constantly put up on the market to replace older ones. This is as a result of the rapid progress of technology in the mobile industry. According to Matt Ployhar of Intel, the industry is rapidly growing and evolving, even outpacing Moore’s law pace. This means that newer cell phone models are continually on the rise alongside increasing consumerism and more outdated models are likely to end up in landfills.
Most cell phones contain precious metals and plastics that can be recycled to save energy and resources that would otherwise be required to mine or manufacture. When placed in a landfill, these materials can pollute the air and contaminate soil and drinking water. Cell phone coatings are typically made of lead, which is a toxic chemical that can result in adverse health effects when exposed to it in high levels.
The materials that go into making of the circuit board of cell phones are lead, copper, gold, zinc, tantalum, beryllium and other raw materials that would require significant resources to mine and manufacture. This is why it is important to recycle old cell phones and source these increasingly scarce materials from recyclable items whenever possible.
Electronic waste(e-waste) is a global problem; especially since many developed countries, including the U.S., ship their discarded electronic devices to developing countries. Often, the e-waste is improperly dismantled and burned, producing toxic emissions harmful to waste site workers, children and nearby communities. Therefore, it is important for cell phone users to dispose and recycle their devices responsibly and ethically.
It is evident from the above note that hardly 15 per cent of mobile phones are being recycled. But the more important matter is the moot question—are the mobile phone set materials and components fully recyclable? Are they being fully recycled without generating any intermediate process product that is environment polluting?
What of the numerous mobile phone communication towers visible every 50 meters or 100 meters in urban areas and every 500 metres in rural areas? They have an operational life of about 40 years. Are their materials and components fully recyclable? Concrete, steel and aluminium materials are stated to be fully recyclable. But the scrap processing of these materials involves emission of harmful gases. Complete and correct data about the global management of communication hardware waste is hardly available.
Hitherto, we have been zealously developing and using 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G communication equipment without complete, clear and confirmed knowledge of the hazardous effects of microwave radiation on human, animal and plant health. We are simply going by empirical studies and data. And after some years, we will be ready to go to even higher communication systems which will increase the density of communication towers fourfold.
If we study the principles of Vedic Physics as expounded in Vedic scientific scriptures, we will find complete exposition and elucidation of Agni(electricity, light, heat and their various forms including electromagnetic fields and microwaves) and Akash (space, which forms the medium of transmission of energy radiation). This exposition is comprehensive and reveals the core scientific details of space or ether, about which very little or practically nothing is known to the modern scientists. They are polluting the space with microwave radiation of high frequency spectrum and the possible hazardous effects of this is not known to them. Are they not working with half knowledge? Half knowledge is dangerous.
We must bear in mind that to invent and use the revolutionary technological device called mobile phone set, we have spread a global network of communication towers in millions and these towers are continuously emitting medium frequency radio waves under the present 4G system and far higher intensity and density and higher frequency radio waves under the forthcoming 5G system. The natural background radiation of the sun carries microwaves(frequency 300MH to 300GH) and radio, television and mobile telephony microwaves fall in this natural spectrum range. But the important point is that the latter disturbs the level of the former.
This constitutes pollution of the ethereal space in the troposphere which throws up the possibility of serious health hazards to humans and other living beings, in accordance with the ancient, classical science of five primordial elements—air, ether, earth, fire and water. Already, there are grave apprehensions of such hazardous effects of microwave radiation and devices, as the contrary is yet to be proved. Most of the scientists call it a grey area because there is yet no hard scientific evidence that such devices are safe. There are apprehensions of exposure to such radiation causing cancer, infertility and neurological disorders.
The effects of microwave radiation pollution could be much more severe than what is stated above. It may cause serious distortion of human mind and aberration of human behaviour. But the usage of mobile telephony is replete with many other serious effects too. According to a report published in The Guardian, 1.25 million tonnes of CO2 is emitted globally through the usage of mobile telephone sets every year. This is for the contribution of mobile telephony to global warming. Information overflow or blitzkrieg is engendering a confused generation.
Understanding, originality and creativity is losing space to imitation and crass commercialism. Artificial Intelligence, the next big technology is going to kill employment and widen the disparity of wealth across the globe. Employment numbers in the world have already suffered a jolt due to this implement in the last many years. It is not the intention of the author to deprecate mobile telephone set as a modern technological implement. But it is his honest desire that the possible adverse effects of this technology should be studied and researched concurrent with its usage. We carry an obligation to bequeath to the future generations systems and implements that enhance peace, security and well being, not diminish them.
What communication technology, systems and practices can we expect in the next four or five decades? Unless the damaging and detrimental effects of 4G or 5G come to the fore, I do not expect any big time or revolutionary changes. The prime purpose of these internet based communication systems is faster communication. But what are we humans going to gain from faster communications? More production of goods and services? For whom? Is there really a shortage of these items? In a highly interconnected world, we should be concerned with redistribution or equitable distribution of goods and services, which is the real requirement of the current times and not concerned about cut throat completion to manufacture and sell goods.
Faster communication technologies will only reduce human labour or human handling in the process of production and sale of goods. But what are we going to achieve by increasing further mechanization or automation of processes? Are we making humans gradually redundant? It seems so. Is there a depopulation agenda on? Probably yes. If that be the case, we must course correct before it is too late. We must build robust, enduring systems of working and habitation and use communication as a tool to help establishing and running those systems. Communication contrivances should remain as accessories or tools only, nothing beyond it.
