INTRODUCTION
“INDIA, like the rest of the world community, has recognized that mobile telecommunications contributes greatly to speedy socio-economic development.
We already have 900 million mobile phone connections and over 80% of the population has access to mobile telecommunication. In 1994, only 8 out of 1,000 people had a telephone. The common man has been empowered! Many have called this the “Telecom Revolution” of India.
But this growth has given rise to concerns regarding public health and Electro-Magnetic Field emissions from cell towers and phones. Many myths without any scientific basis have been floated by mischief mongers with vested business interests that electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation - from telecom towers and mobile phones lead to cancer and skin allergies.
In spite of many rigorous, independent scientific studies and research done in many countries, till date, no scientific study globally has found any iota of truth in these allegations.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, and the cellular industry, being sensitive to the concerns of the citizens, have undertaken a joint exercise to ensure all issues regarding tower installation and functioning are addressed so as to allay the fears about emissions. One such step was the decision by the DoT to reduce the EMF emissions from antenna on towers by 90% from their earlier levels. Indian norms are now one tenth of the international standards. Uniform guidelines for all the state governments and local civic bodied have been formulated for the location and operation of the towers by the DoT.
In view of public concerns, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) consisting of officers from DoT, Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of Environment and Forest was constituted on August 24, 2010, to examine the effect of EMF radiation from base stations and mobile phones.
The IMC found no direct link between exposure to EMF emissions from antennas on cell towers and mobile phones and health. It examined 90 international and national studies. In spite of this lack of scientific evidence, the IMC recommended lowering the mobile towers’ EMF exposure limits to 1/10th of the existing prescribed safety limit levels (ICNIRP recommended safety limits) as a matter of abundant precaution. This regulation came into effect on September 1, 2012. (DoT link: www.dot.gov.in/access-services/journey-emf
The Telecom Enforcement Resource & Monitoring (TERM), a division of the DoT, carries out regular audits of the towers to ensure that they are in compliance with the safety norms. (TERM details:www.dot.gov.in/term/term-security)
All cellphone operators are now in compliance with the revised set of guidelines. Therefore, any decommissioning/removal of towers due to unfounded concerns on EMF adversely affect the availability of communication services and the quality of services for the customers who bear the inconvenience of poor connectivity.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and associated international agencies such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) determine the global guidelines for emissions across the world. India, in fact, had earlier adopted the ICNIRP safety guidelines but reduced them as a result of the IMC recommendations. The new safety norms are now far below those adopted by over 95% of the countries of the world.
The WHO has been spending $300 million per annum on research and monitoring of the EMF emission and its effects on humans. There is a need to create public awareness about the true facts on the issue to counter misinformation which causes anxiety among the people. Such misinformation disparages the credibility of the work that the government and industry are doing to address these concerns.
Recently, the WHO and a French government expert group, ANSES (Agence Nationale De Securite Sanitaire) – the French Organization for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety - have concluded there is no health hazard from mobile phone radiation. It has been seconded by an 11-year long study conducted by the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) of the UK. Public health agencies of the government of several countries such as Sweden, Germany and others have come to similar conclusions. These countries have had mobile networks for far longer than India.
The WHO in its advisory on September 20, 2013, said, “Studies to date provide no indication that environmental exposure to RF (radiofrequency) fields, such as from base stations, increases the risk of cancer or any other disease. Scientists have reported other health effects of using mobile phones including changes in brain activity, reaction times, and sleep patterns. These effects are minor and have no apparent health significance.”
The MTHR of the UK says that “there is no evidence that exposure to base station emissions during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood leukemia.” Professor David Coggon, Chairman of MTHR, said: “We are now much more confident about the safety of modern telecommunications systems.”
Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Division of Medical Oncology), Columbia University, USA, says: “Many substances of modern life do not — cannot — cause cancer” (said in reference to emissions from telecom towers).
Prof. Michael Repacholi, who was the Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) project coordinator for the WHO, stated, during a recent tour of India that high quality studies have not established that use of mobile phones or EMF emissions from antenna on mobile towers causes any health risks.
Therefore, in view of the vast scientific research data available to show that EMF emissions from antenna on mobile towers do not cause any health hazard, consumers should be able to enjoy the benefits of mobile telephony without any fear. Government agencies in India should not become a victim of fear psychosis and half-truths and myths floated by vested interests that gloss over the vast array of scientific data and research to the contrary.