Based on inputs from the Union health ministry, the Department of Telecommunications has revised the radio frequency emission level exposure limits which will come into effect from September 1, 2012.
As per the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee on EMF Radiation, the radio frequency emission level exposure limits have been revised to 1/10th of the existing prescribed base station emission level and it will be effective from September.
Department of Telecommunications had adopted the international EMF norms in the year 2008 in respect of mobile towers prescribed by International Commission on non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The ICNIRP guidelines are being followed by a number of countries in the world. Many Countries, mostly developed Countries have developed their own health based precautionary guidelines where the exposure limit of these radiations is very low.
Sources said the Health Ministry had vetted the recommendations by the inter-ministerial committee on the effect of radiation from mobile tower and mobile phones and went through the scientific data. The committee had representatives from DoT, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Environment & Forest and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to examine the various studies on the effect of radiation from mobile tower and mobile phones.
One of the recommendations of the panel was to conduct the long term scientific research related to health aspect of EMF radiation exposure and associated technologies in India in areas like health effect of RF exposure in children, and health effect of RF exposure in foetus, mothers and elderly persons.
Sources said the ministry will go for long term comprehensive study as far as the health aspects are concerned. Different studies have been done so far in this area. The international Agency for Research on cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has classified radiofrequency electro-magnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use.