Come September 1, 2012, India will have stricter regulations to check electromagnetic radiation emission from mobile phones, a step that would address health concerns and also streamline the handset manufacturing industry.
Accepting the report an inter-ministerial committee, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will notify the new regulations in next few days.
The new regulations are mainly those being practised in the U.S. and European nations that mandate all mobile phone manufacturers to comply with a specific absorption rate (SAR is a measure of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the human body while using a mobile phone) so that radiation does not affect human health. The company will also have to mention SAR value clearly on handsets to make customers aware of it. After concerns were raised following some international health studies, the DoT formed an inter-ministerial committee that recommended that mobile handsets should have SAR value of 1.6 Watts per kilogram averaged over a six-minute period and taken over a volume containing a mass of one gram of human tissue.
The committee also said that mobile handsets manufactured and sold in India or imported should be checked for compliance of SAR limit and no handsets of SAR value above the prescribed standard adopted in India should be manufactured or sold in the country.
Confirming that the new mobile handset radiation guidelines would be out soon, Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot told The Hindu that the government was serious on the entire issue and, therefore, was coming out with strict guidelines to ensure that only safe handsets were sold. “We cannot compromise with health issues…companies found flouting new regulations will be severely penalised. All there regulations are important to streamline the telecom sector that is growing at a fast pace.”
Keywords: mobile radiation, radiation emission
There is absolutely no scientific evidence or theoretical reason to suspect that cell phone or cell tower "radiation" is harmful to health.
I recall that in June 2010, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) ''constituted a group of scientists to verify claims of higher than prescribed levels of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in the capital.'' Please note the wording, which has avoided saying anything about ''health hazard''. Dr Brahmachari, DG CSIR, gave a lucid statement, including a forthright dismissal of suggestions that radio frequency is harmful to humans. I wish the scaremongers had paid attention to Dr Brahmachari's scientifically correct opinion. However, a few self-appointed "experts" have continued to exploit the gullibility of laymen to garner substantial "research" grants for "studying" the alleged "harmful" effects of cell phone and cell phone tower radiation. It is justifiable to suspect an intention of blackmailing cell-phone industry.
Further, it is BAD SCIENCE, and reminiscent of the scare created about radio waves in the early days of radio broadcasting.
If some kind of executive action is taken against cell phone services on the basis of the myth that "electromagnetic radiation" emitted by them cause harm, then we should also ban the use of most of our modern electronic and electrical appliances, e.g. TV, radio (especially FM), cordless telephones, Wi-Fi, computers, and so on.
The Government's initiative is appreciated. The market is already
flooded with mobile phones. What is going to be done for their SAR?
Will it not be better for the Government to protect the society from
health hazards at the beginning stage itself?. I think all Governments
,either Central or State, shoild follow Thirukkural " ennithuniga
karaman...."
Great that India is catching up with the West, on this arguable potential danger to human health issue. But why does India lag decades behind the West in other areas concerning health and safety of her citizens, or mandating basic facilities for the old and the disabled (eg at least all public buildings could have ramps/lifts, steps could be not too high & with safe handrails, toilets could have non-slip floors & designed so that the floors are not constantly wet, etc)? A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN is the crazy policy of requiring only 2 lifts irrespective of how many floors a high rise block has, and grossly inadequate fire and evacuation standards!! Surely it can’t be because the civil servants don't know these things or, can't find these out from their own foreign trips or, by simply browsing the internet? When will India catch up with the RoW in all the areas it easily can with minimal investment and sensible up to date policies?
At last, the government is waking up on this issue. What about the mobile masts located in the residential areas and nearer to schools?
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