No health hazard from mobile tower radiation: telecom experts

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Licence Service Area (LSA) unit of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) organised an "Awareness Workshop on EMF Radiation" in Bengaluru on Friday. The session was organised as part of DoT's public advocacy programme to dispel myths around EMF radiation and address unfounded fears of citizens by presenting credible scientific evidence.

An expert panel comprising senior officials from the telecom department along with doctors, debunked myths and misinformation on radiation from mobile towers.

H K Verma, Advisor DoT, Karnataka LSA spoke about the importance of mobile towers for streamlined network connectivity. "EMF radiation norms for India are 10 times stricter than the limits prescribed by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and are in adherence to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Extensive research on EMF signals have not been able to establish any injurious effects on human health from mobile tower radiation." He also spoke about PM WANI and national broadband mission (NBM) projects launched by the union government.

Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, NIMHANS, Bengaluru said "extensive scientific research on the subject has not found any connection between mobile tower radiation and human health. Following investigations, the WHO has concluded that there is no risk to human health from mobile tower radiation."

Dr T.K. Joshi, Advisor to Health Minister, Govt of India, said that citizens need not worry about the adverse effect of mobile tower EMF radiation as they are being strictly monitored and evidence from credible sources have repeatedly ruled out the possibility of any impending health hazards emanating from EMF radiations

"The misconception among people in villages in Karnataka about EMF emission is wrong and installation of towers should be allowed in their respective localities There are checks and balances in places to ensure telcos adhere to the norms set by the government. The Government of India follows 10 times more stringent norms than what has been prescribed by ICNIRP. Mobile connectivity is the need of the hour for all sections of society. There is a need to realise the importance of mobile towers in order to maintain the standard of this essential service. However, due to misconceptions and myths, mobile towers were removed at several places after installation, resulting in poor connectivity. This programme will help address such issues," he said.