coolrajiv 1 Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Source - Times of India epaper New Delhi: The telecom boom has transformed the lives of millions of people, but has also set alarm bells ringing over its possible health hazards as the government is now considering norms that suggest taking precautionary steps to minimise risks associated with use of mobile phones. The draft guidelines prepared by the Telecom Engineering Centre and under consideration of the department of telecom (DoT) have suggested, among other things, that children below 16 years should be discouraged from using cellular phones. It pointed out that phones and base station antennas used by telecom operators radiate energy that heats up tissues and may be harmful to human beings, especially kids. “The tissues of children are tender and therefore, they are likely to be more affected by use of mobile phones. Children below 16 years age should be discouraged from using mobile phones,” the draft guidelines suggested. The draft noted that even World Health Organisation (WHO) was studying if there were harmful effects of electromagnetic fields on human beings but the results have been inconclusive. WHO has, however, suggested a precautionary approach and also come out with a model legislation and framework on electromagnetic field and health standards. Many countries such as Canada, USA, EU, Australia, Japan and China have implemented this precautionary approach in different forms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites