Telecom authority assures that there are no health hazards from mobile tower radiation

Pune Mirror, Dec 19, 2015: With widespread fear and clamouring doubts over health hazards caused by radiation emanating from mobile towers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is on a major damage control mission.

At a public meeting in Pune to discuss apprehensions regarding mobile towers and electro-magnetic field (EMF) radiation, officials from TRAI and the telecom enforcement, resource and monitoring (TERM) cell of the telecom department went all out to assure citizens that the central government is coming up with a dedicated portal with information about mobile towers and radiation levels.

Said K V Rao, Director – TERM, Pune region said that “There are companies and ‘experts’ trying to cash in on people’s fear about mobile towers, radiation and subsequent ill-effects on health. However, when we give permission to telecom providers to erect a particular tower, the emission of radiation is checked and only if it is within the limits of prescribed norms, is the service provider allowed to start emission.”

Agneshwar Sen, adviser, TRAI, said, “India, in 2008, adopted the guidelines prepared by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for electromagnetic radiation from mobile towers and made radiation norms 10 times lower than the existing international standards set up by ICNIRP,” he said. + Sen added, “Till date, there is no substantial evidence which can corroborate that health hazards such as cancer occur due to mobile towers.”

He also cited several rulings where courts have rubbished petitions filed by residents and NGOs, in which claims of suspected health hazards caused by mobile towers were discussed.

When asked about reports that mobile towers are responsible for wiping out bird species, S K Gupta, principal adviser, TRAI, had a ready answer, saying, “It is not mobile radiation, but the changing landscape and rapid urbanisation that is making it difficult for birds to survive.”

The article was published in Pune Mirror. You can read the original article here.

Mobile towers safe for human health, says TRAI panel

ET Telecom: In an effort to clarify the apprehensions related to Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Radiation of Mobile Towers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) conducted an interactive meeting.

In an effort to clarify the apprehensions related to Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Radiation of Mobile Towers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) conducted an interactive meeting on Friday in sector 15, Gurgaon.

The representatives from TRAI stated in the interaction that there is a public concern about possible health hazards from EMF exposures from mobile towers, which has led to active scientific debate among the research agencies across the globe. However, the TRAI officials explained that the mobile tower radiations were nothing but radio waves.

“The government has implemented stringent norms to ensure that there is no adverse effect on human health from mobile tower emissions. This matter has been studied intensively and in various countries after a detailed examination of the findings of these 25,000 plus studies there is no conclusive evidence of adverse effect of EMF radiation on human health,” said Agneshwar Sen, Advisor (B&CS), (TRAI).

Sen mentioned that lack of adequate number of mobile towers was one of the reasons for deteriorating quality of mobile services. The TRAI panel also clarified that sparrows and bees are not affected by mobile towers and that the decline of sparrow population is due to urbanisation.

To help dispel false claims and create awareness about types of radiation, and their impact, last month, Mr. RS Sharma, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a statement. You can read/watch it here.

Article Source: ET Telecom

Image Source: iGovernment