Resumen de Consumer health risk awareness model of RF-EMF exposure from mobile phones and base stations: An exploratory study

Rojalin Pradhan, Mahim Sagar, Tushar Pandey, Ishwar Prasad

• Wireless Communication has become an integral part of our daily lives especially the use of mobile phones has increased drastically in the past decade. But this technology has also raised some concerns among certain group of people where the concerns are mainly regarding the radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure from mobile phones and base stations. It is believed that RF-EMF exposure from mobile phones and base stations is affecting human health. This paper seeks to develop a model on consumer health risk awareness of RF-EMF exposure from mobile phones and base stations, where we have made use of grounded theory method (GTM) and total interpretive structural modelling (TISM). GTM has been used to identify the factors influencing consumer’s awareness on health risk related issues towards RF-EMF exposure and TISM was used to establish relationship between these factors and subsequently developed a hierarchical model to improve consumer awareness in context of perceived health risks associated with it. This model is developed on the premise of informed choice, aware consumer and safer absorption of technology. This model could have high social impact for all the stakeholders in the telecommunication industry (regulator, telecom service provider and consumer).