An ever-increasing volume of credible scientific evidence suggests there are no health hazards from the radiation emitted by
mobile towers.The Japanese have concluded an exercise spanning 10 years of thorough bioelectromagnetics research for human protection from exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF mobile tower radiation).
The comprehensive national research programme had been initiated by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) in 1997 to consolidate the scientific basis for the radiation exposure limits followed. In 2001, the MPT was restructured as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The research programme and the exercise are continuing in full vigour. In bioelectromagnetics research, the quality of dosimetric work — the use of suitable exposure apparatus and the accurate measurement/assessment of exposure — is of paramount importance to get credible and reliable results.
The outstanding feature of the Japanese programme is the collaboration between engineering and medicine/biology groups to apply excellent dosimetry that contributed to the improved reliability of the studies. There is much that India can learn from this well-funded research programme. It is important to note that the results of the studies consistently showed no hazardous effect of RF-EMF, within the levels of internationally-accepted guidelines.
Similarly, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority and its predecessor had been conducting 13 years of research, 2002 onwards, on RF-EMF. Their clear finding is: “... In line with previous studies, new studies on adult and childhood cancer with improved exposure assessment do not indicate any health risks for the general public.”
More than five decades of global research has failed to establish any cause for concern for human health from mobile tower radiation at levels within the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and the IEEE.
WHO has reviewed more than 25,000 research reports to come to its conclusion. It has stated unambiguously that “despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.”
WHO has reviewed more than 25,000 research reports to come to its conclusion. It has stated unambiguously that “despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.”
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Even the government-appointed expert inter-ministerial committee, after examining various national and international studies, said in 2010 that “… scientific studies have not been able to confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between radio-frequency radiation and health”. Though not warranted by scientific evidence, in 2012, the government revised the Indian exposure limit to 10 times more stringent level than international norms.
Let us cut to the situation on the ground today. The country has significant growth potential in Digital India, which is majorly based on mobile telephony. But it continues to struggle in setting up the requisite tower infrastructure for housing antennas that make mobile connectivity possible. Ill-informed or misinformed activists and doom merchants — many with a commercial agenda (people making profit by planting baseless fear in the minds of citizens and offering spurious products to address the fear) — are whipping up resistance to the installation of towers with false allegations that RF-EMF is harmful to human health and may cause cancer, infertility etc.
This situation cannot be tolerated and, while the government has done a great job through an ongoing nationwide awareness campaign, the state of affairs calls for sterner action against the wrongdoers.
The Supreme Court is expected to soon hear some of the petitions filed by parties against mobile towers and implying that enough safeguards are not in place at present. This, despite the fact that the radiation limit set by India is much more strict than the WHO-recommended one.
At least 16 high court judgments have said that the apprehension of adverse health effects from exposure to mobile tower emission is without substance. For example, the Delhi High Court in its judgement dated April 26 this year stated: “It is clear that there is no scientific data available to show that the installation of mobile phone towers and the emission of the said waves are in any way harmful for the health… of citizens.”
Similar judgments are available from the high courts of Allahabad, Madras, Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh. The Allahabad High Court decreed the examination of the subject by an independent committee of experts from the IITs, IISC, AIIMS, ICMR etc and then to provide their findings and recommendations to the court. The report was submitted and the court ruled on April 4 this year that “all the experts have unanimously voiced their opinion that the present body of scientific research does not justify the threat to human health and life, as is sought to be portrayed by some quarters, including the petitioners before us”.
Similar judgments are available from the high courts of Allahabad, Madras, Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh. The Allahabad High Court decreed the examination of the subject by an independent committee of experts from the IITs, IISC, AIIMS, ICMR etc and then to provide their findings and recommendations to the court. The report was submitted and the court ruled on April 4 this year that “all the experts have unanimously voiced their opinion that the present body of scientific research does not justify the threat to human health and life, as is sought to be portrayed by some quarters, including the petitioners before us”.
With such overwhelming, reassuring evidence from the WHO and advanced countries such as Japan and Sweden, our own top scientific and medical experts and a large number of strong high court judgments, the question that arises is: In such a situation of tremendous clarity, can we afford to be silent spectators to the derailing of Digital India and the harming of the nation’s economic progress by the stoppage of mobile towers, which are the lifeline of digital connectivity? The answer is fairly obvious.
The author is honorary fellow, IET (London), and president, Broadband India Forum