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Show cause notices were issued to various companies by the government in 102 cases where mobile phone base station emissions were discovered to be higher than the prescribed radiation limit, Parliament was informed today.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has initiated strict monitoring and enforcement of norms and in cases where excess radiation was discovered, corrective action has been taken immediately, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
"In 102 cases, where the base station emissions were found to be higher than the prescribed norms, corrective actions have been taken immediately and necessary show cause notices/demand notices have been issued," he added.
The government issued revised Electromagnetic Field (EMF) radiation norms to reduce emission levels from Base Transmitting Stations (BTSs) with effect from September 1, 2012, Deora said.
According to Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) Bio-initiative 2012 report, which summarises about 1,800 new studies under 24 technical chapters, exposure to radiation from mobile towers and phones can cause health hazards.
The report states exposure to radiation has been found to lead to DNA damage, carcinogenicity and impacted development of sperms and foetuses along with other harmful effects.
To examine harmful effects of cellphone towers on people living in their vicinity, DoT formed a committee on October 1, 2012.
