This story is from September 9, 2016

Don’t hike cell tower radiation, activists petition telecom ministry

Citizen activists have petitioned the telecom ministry demanding that there should be no increase in the radiation levels of cell tower antennae in the city as “this could harm the health of those living in the vicinity”
Don’t hike cell tower radiation, activists petition telecom ministry
MUMBAI: Citizen activists have petitioned the telecom ministry demanding that there should be no increase in the radiation levels of cell tower antennae in the city as “this could harm the health of those living in the vicinity”.
The petition comes close on the heels of International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) officials’ visit to India and meeting top telecom officials.
Sources at the department of telecommunications (DoT) said the ICNIRP is in the final stages of revising emissions norms for cell towers globally and there are indications that it could be increased in India to facilitate the growth of 4G and also 5G. A source in the telecom industry said the norms may be increased by 10 to 20 times but it is yet to be finalized.
A DoT official confirmed the meeting with ICNIRP officials, but said nothing has been finalized. “We are yet to receive an official communication from ICNIRP in case there is any revision of global norms.”
Prakash Munshi, one of the petitioners in the PIL filed in the high court on cell tower radiations, said any increase in radiation levels could be “disastrous”. “The norms in India are already very high—it’s 10 times higher than in Russia, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria and Lithuania for 4G. Also, if 4G and 5G network can operate in France with actual radiation levels of 20 mW/sqm and in Australia for a range between 90mW/sqm and 150 mW/sqm, then why not in India?” In India, the current EMF radiation level is 450 mW/sqm for 900MHz.
Sources in the telecom industry said increasing EMF levels could benefit 4G (high speed) as it requires higher power transmission and will help reduce infrastructure costs at cell tower sites. Activists argued that 4G can be provided at low frequency and with a wider bandwidth, using multiple “low-power” transmitters.
IIT professor Girish Kumar said based on presentations made to the government in 2010 and 2011, EMF radiation norms were lowered to 10%. “The nor-ms should be further reduced. The only solution is to provide 4G at low frequency—it can be launched in 700-800 MHz frequency with a wider bandwidth. Also, cellular operators should instal more low-power transmitters to ensure that there are no health risks.”
But a cellular operator said, “Operators should be permitted to radiate at double the current power; lower output from towers is preventing the growth of high-speed connectivity. Also, there is no conclusive evidence that the EMF at the ICNIRP-prescribed levels causes any health risk.”
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