This explosion of mobile networks in India and the radiation levels in our neighbourhood is alarmingly dangerous. Who is regulation and monitoring at ground level?

Hello, Hello - can't hear properly - signal weak !!

DoT to ring in norms for mobile radiation

31 May, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, TNN

MUMBAI: India, the world’s fastest growing telecom market, will now implement the international guidelines for minimising health hazards due to emissions from mobiles and base stations. After much deliberation, department of telecom’s (DoT) policy-making arm, Telecom Commission (TC), has adopted the guidelines prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), sources told ET.

ICNIRP guidelines prescribe permissible radiation levels for telecom installations, base stations, mobiles and handhelds. At a meeting held on May 27 in New Delhi, TC decided to adopt ICNIRP guidelines regarding basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiations, said sources.

This implies that all mobile handsets in India will compulsorily need a certification from manufacturers that they meet standards on transmission. “For base stations, the operators will have to conduct audit and provide certification that they are meeting ICNIRP standards on emission,” sources said.

ICNIRP guidelines, which provide the benchmark for maximum permissible emission, are already being followed in Spain, Germany, Australia, France, Japan and many other countries. In India, nearly 270 million customers use cellphone and there are over 1,15,000 towers, which emit electormagnetic radiations.

Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), DoT’s technical arm, has prepared the guidelines on emissions. “TEC also measured emissions at some base stations in Delhi and levels were found to be exceeding the norms in certain cases. At a later stage, TC may also set up a conformity assessment body (CAB), which will measure radiations and provide certifications. Till then, operators themselves will have to do the job,” said sources.

For handsets, SAR (specific absorption rate) is an indication of the amount of radiation that is absorbed by body while using a cellphone. The unit of SAR is watts per kilogram (W/kg) and the higher the SAR rating the more radiation absorbed.

ICNIRP has two sets of limits, one for general public exposure and another for occupational exposure. Globally, cellphones cannot be officially sold without specifying SAR level. In the US, a mobile exceeding SAR level of 1.6 W/kg cannot be sold while in Europe, manufacturers must ensure that the maximum SAR level of a cellphone does not exceed 2W/kg, this being the safety limit fixed by the EU council.

“Manufacturers of mobiles will be asked to adopt ICNIRP standards and self-certify their products,” said sources. Among the top manufacturers, Nokia is already adhering to SAR norms. “All Nokia products, including mobile devices and base stations, comply with science-based international safety standards and limits set by public health authorities, based on SAR,” a Nokia spokesperson said.

According to Indian Cellular Association president Pankaj Mohindroo, most of the handsets sold in India are branded and comply with global emission norms. Industry sources, however, said unbranded cellphones form Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, flooding the Indian market, are probably not adhering to these standards.

 According to various studies, there are two types of effects of electromagnetic waves—thermal (rise in body temperature) and non-thermal, which includes behavioural effects. Some of these effects are sleep and hearing disorders, memory disturbances and cognitive disorders.

 However, there is no concrete evidence of health hazards and it is widely felt that more concrete studies on the matter are needed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that “national authorities should adopt international standards to protect their citizens against adverse levels of radio frequency fields.”

For further reading and reference on Radiation

http://www.liveindia.com/news/radiation.html

http://www.liveindia.com/news/mobilrtowerradiation.html

http://www.liveindia.com/news/radiation2.html

http://www.liveindia.com/news/radiation5.html

http://www.liveindia.com/news/radiation6.html

http://www.liveindia.com/news/radiation4.html

http://iete-elan.ac.in/atc51/session5/tr-dua.ppt

http://www.brain-surgery.us/India2008.pdf

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/Telecom/DoT_to_follow_international_radiation_norms/rssarticleshow/3271082.cms

http://www.trai.gov.in/trai/upload/Recommendations/84/recom22feb08.pdf

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/tripura-restricts-cellphone-towers-for-fear-of-radiation_10068997.html

http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/~code803/pages/RF%20Awareness%20Training.ppt

http://emfjournal.com/category/public-safety/

http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/index.htm

Supporting Material From the net on Radiation.

http://www.emraustralia.com.au/mobile_phone_towers_report.pdf

http://www.csu.edu.au/acad_sec/committees/radiation/faq/mobile_telephone_communication.htm

Exposure levels and recommended limits

The exposure levels of RF radiation are measured in microwatts per square centimeter (abbreviated as uW/cm2). One uW is a millionth of a watt. The maximum exposure levels measured adjacent to the base station towers are less than 2 uW/cm2. The exposure level decreases with increasing distance from the base of the tower.

These levels can be compared with 200 uW/cm2, which is the exposure limit for members of the public (that is, unlimited exposure duration) recommended by the current Australian Standard (AS 2772) for this radiation.

From the newspaper article - “Mobile handsets emit radiation even if one is not using them,” Ved Prakash Sandlas, a distinguished scientist, told Deccan Chronicle.

Mr Sandlas, a former scientist with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said the round-the-clock tracking of mobile phones by service providers has resulted in the handsets emitting radiation detrimental to health.

A radiation audit carried out by Cogent EMR Solutions, a New Delhi-based company under the guidance of Mr Sandlas, has found that most areas in Chennai recorded radiation levels of 2000 micro watts per square metre because of mobile towers and handsets.

“The permissible levels of radiation are 50 micro watts per square metre,” said Zafar Haq, chief executive officer, Cogent.

He said that radiation levels were minimum in areas like Poes Garden and Boat Club Road. “Though there are mobile towers in these areas, nature is acting as a fortress. There are many trees, plants and thick vegetation in Poes Garden and Boat Club Road,” said Mr Haq.

The high frequency analyser used to audit the radiation levels showed more than 2,000 micro watts/sq metre near Cancer Hospital and AMM Matriculation School at Kotturpuram. A hotel near a mobile phone tower at Roypettah showed radiation level of 7,000 microwatts while Teynampet registered more than 2,000 microwatts.

M K Hamza Hajee, a social activist at Malappuram in Kerala, pointed out that mobile phone signals were available even in concrete chambers.

There seems to be no regulation in checking and monitoring radiation from cell phone towers. With tower sharing by multiple operators the radiation levels can be very high. In most towns and cities the health authorities and municipal departments who accord sanction for erecting these towers are not aware of the harm these towers cause. They do not have any instruments to measure and record the radiations. Yet another case of government ignoring safety norms.