Mobile tower study

It is a known fact that the electromagnetic radiation emanating from mobile towers adversely affects the human body. The Department of Tele-communication (DoT) had formed a committee to study the harmful effects of such radiation on the residents of the city as well as the environment. Milind Deora, MP of South Mumbai, said, “The committee was formed to carry out a study across India. It will study the impact of the radiation caused by mobile towers in the surrounding area and the environment.” The committee was formed after the DoT had issued guidelines to all state governments to formulate a policy for setting up mobile towers.

The DoT’s revised norms stated that state governments and local civic bodies had to seek a no-objection certificate from housing societies and majority of the occupants, where the towers would be put up, but unfortunately these norms were ignored.

The head of the committee is Dr NK Ganguly, former director general of Indian Council of  Medical Research. Along with him were representatives of Department of Tele-communication, Indian Institute of Technology (Chennai), Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow), Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Department of Science and Technology. The committee also included residents of various residents’ associations in the city, so that there is no bias and the study is transparent. Earlier, Deora had said that the BMC had not done its job properly as far as the preparation of the mobile tower policy is concerned.  

Mobile tower radiation is of two types: thermal and non-thermal. In a thermal effect heat is produced. The best example of thermal effect is the use of mobile phones. Non-thermal effects, as the name suggests does not involve heat, but are more harmful than thermal effects. Prolonged exposure to mobile radiation can lead to headaches, sleep disturbance, lack of concentration, and can also cause brain cancer. More serious health issues are infertility, miscarriage, and heart problems.

If a person is living near a mobile tower and wants to avoid the harmful effects of the radiation, the person can ask the operators to reduce the power of transmission or change the angle of the antenna so that no house falls under the main beam of the antenna. Where the level of radiation is high, people can go in for radiation shielding solutions such as, window shielding films, shielding curtains, and radiation shielding units.

In 2011, the number of illegal towers in the city was 1,800 and now the figure is almost double. It is high time the government comes up with a strong mobile tower policy and also creates awareness amongst the residents.