Electro
Magnetic Field emissions do not cause health hazards: Cellular Operators
Association of India
Cellular Operators
Association of India, the apex body of mobile communications companies, today
said the Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) emissions from antennae on cell towers
and mobile handsets do not cause any health hazards.
"India presently has
900 million mobile phone connections and more than 80 per cent of the
population has access to
"The growth has given
rise to concerns regarding the danger to public health caused by the EMF
emissions and myths have been floated without any scientific basis," COAI
Director General Rajan S Mathews told reporters here.
COAI has launched a public
awareness campaign, using reference books, videos and roadshows involving
experts from oncology, radioliogy, molecular and physical science and WHO to
allay health fears and dipel myths surrounding mobile towers and handsets.
Titled 'Mobile Networks
and Public Health' series, this is the first time eminent experts from India
and world over have come together on a common platform to dispel 'unwarranted
fears' of health hazards from mobile towers and handsets, he said.
The Department of Telecom
has also recognised the issue that a large section of Indian public harboured
unwarrnated fears that were not based on scientific data and facts. AVS Suresh,
Oncologist from hyderabad said radio frequency signals from the base stations are
'too low' to affect health.
On reports about
disappearance of sparrows and honey bees, he said there was lot of myth
associated with the experiments in this regard. Habitual change has led to fall
in population of sparrows. "You require about one lakh cell towers to be
placed around sparrows for them to disapper," he said.
Suresh said reports
relating to cell phone radiation causing infertility were 'absolutely
baseless'. There was no established link between radiation and infertility.
Deputy DG, DOT, Reghunandan,
said the Centre was committed to strictly enforcing the norms. There are 35,000
plus BTS in Kerala of which testing has been completed on 8,000 stations, he
said.
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