Risk and Benefit Perceptions of Mobile Phone and Base Station Technology in Bangladesh.
van Kleef E, Fischer AR, Khan M, Frewer LJ. · 2010
View Original AbstractBangladeshi citizens perceive mobile phone health risks as minimal, but low risk perception doesn't eliminate actual biological effects from RF radiation.
Plain English Summary
Researchers surveyed 500 citizens in Bangladesh about their perceptions of health risks from mobile phones and cell towers. They found that people generally viewed the benefits of mobile technology as outweighing potential health risks, with emergency communication during natural disasters being a key benefit. Health concerns ranked relatively low compared to worries about crime and social disruption.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a critical gap between scientific evidence and public awareness in developing countries. While Bangladeshi citizens perceive minimal health risks from mobile phone radiation, the science demonstrates measurable biological effects at exposure levels typical of everyday use. The reality is that rapid technology adoption in countries like Bangladesh often occurs without adequate public education about potential health implications. What this means for you is that perceived safety doesn't equal actual safety. The benefits of mobile technology are undeniable, especially for emergency communications in disaster-prone regions. However, the low health risk perception identified in this study suggests that populations may be unknowingly accepting higher exposure levels without implementing basic protective measures that could preserve the benefits while reducing potential harm.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This study aims to identify factors that are influential in determining the tradeoffs that Bangladeshi citizens make between risks and benefits in terms of mobile phone technology acceptance and health concerns associated with the technology.
Bangladesh was selected as representative of many developing countries inasmuch as terrestrial telep...
The results demonstrate that, in general, the perceived benefits of mobile phone technology outweigh...
These findings show that risk communication and management may be particularly effective when contextual factors of the society where the system is implemented are taken into consideration.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2010_risk_and_benefit_perceptions_2644,
author = {van Kleef E and Fischer AR and Khan M and Frewer LJ.},
title = {Risk and Benefit Perceptions of Mobile Phone and Base Station Technology in Bangladesh.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20409037/},
}