Cancer cases in SoBo society draw attention to alarming radiation levels

Jaffer Hussain, 75, moved to his spacious 2-BHK apartment in Churchgate's Anand Niwas in 2010. He doesn't remember if there were cell phone towers back then. However, as his wife and his neighbour's wife now suffer from cancer, he is worried about the close to a dozen towers located around his flat, some less than 20 metres from his balcony and bedroom.

"It was my neighbour, whose wife is suffering from cancer, drew my attention to it. My wife, who is also ailing, would spend most of her time in the balcony," said Hussain. While Prabhat Housing Society, opposite Husain's balcony has three towers mounted on it, Jyoti Sadan building which is opposite his bedroom, has as many as seven cell phone towers around it. An RTI reply has shown that the towers on Jyoti Sadan building are illegal.

"The radiation levels keep fluctuating but it is as high as 200 mW for every sqm when I measure it from the balcony. Meanwhile, the Tarang Sanchar Portal reading for the area shows that the level is a mere 2," says Prakash Munshi, who has been voicing against the radiation levels from cell phone towers.

Tarang Sanchar Portal was launched by the ministry of telecommunications in May 2017. It provides details about cell phone towers and the strength of the radiation. "For this area, the reading seems to be all wrong. While the portal shows the presence of 2G, 3G and 4G towers, the levels seem to be too low for towers operating at those frequencies," Munshi added.

Dr Divya Prabhat, ENT specialist, Bhatia Hospital, who is vocal about the harmful effects of radiation, said, "A lot of studies have linked tumours around salivary glands to increased cell phone use. Patients also report ringing sensation in ears and headaches. The occurrence of cancer is also much higher in people living around cell phone towers."