Radiation from Mobile towers and cellphones

Members of the public have been sensitized on the possible harmful effects of EMF radiation being emitted by the mobile phones and the radiation being transmitted by the towers, by the responsible newspapers like Mumbai Mirror, The Times of India and The Times of Navi Mumbai. There are sites and blogs (www.radsafetyinfo.com; radsafe.blogspot.com) which also highlight the issue time and again. Now, things started moving. This is going to be a major public health concern, globally. In a US city, San Francisco, for the first time anywhere, it is mandated that the cellphone manufacturers post information about the amount of radio waves absorbed – specific absorption rate (SAR value) - into the cellphone user’s body touching the mobiles. There are international limits (1.6 watts per kg) on the SAR value for checking compliance. A good move indeed. All countries should follow this practice.

The gravity of the situation can be judged by the fact that every mobile service provider has over 75,000 towers erected in different parts of the country. Possibly, equal umbers of unauthorized towers exist over buildings, bridges and streetlight poles. Residential buildings are also not spared. In a small township like Navi Mumbai there are 451 an-authorized towers (as per the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation report). This is in addition to the authorized towers.

In view of the seriousness of the issue, there is a need of mass sensitization about the radiation and radiation hazards from the long-term mobile usage, followed by a law and regulation to control the avoidable exposure of the unsuspecting public to radiation from mobile towers/cellphones.