Are radiations from mobile towers harmful?

A public outreach and awareness program was organized under the aegis of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Emissions and Mobile Towers at Y B Chavan, Mumbai today. Shri J.S. Deepak, Secretary, DoT, delivered the inaugural address.

Shri Swadheen S. Kshatriya, IAS, Chief Secretary, Maharashtra, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest in the inaugural session of this programme. An expert panel comprising telecom officers from the DoT and doctors presented the scientific facts clarifying various myths on possible health hazards from mobile tower radiation. A Committee, formed at the behest of Hon’ble Allahabad High Court comprising experts from five IITs, AIIMS (Delhi), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, had also on the basis of scientific evidence, studies and reports available, found that there is no conclusive evidence about the stated dangers of EMF radiation from mobile BTS tower.

The DoT Secretary said that there is no scientific evidence backing the claim that EMF radiation from mobile towers — which are below the safe limits prescribed by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) — can cause adverse health effects.

Dr. R.M. Chaturvedi, DDG-CS, DoT, pointed out that WHO has referred to approximately 25,000 studies, conducted around the world over the past 30 years, and based on an in-depth review of scientific literature, has concluded: “Despite the feeling of some people that more research needs to be done, scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals. Current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields.”

The DoT has already prescribed strict precautionary norms for exposure limit for the Radio Frequency Field (Base Station Emissions) which is 10 times more stringent than the existing limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO. Further, the Government of India has taken adequate steps to ensure that Telecommunications Service Providers strictly adhere to these prescribed norms, the DoT Secretary added.