Updated : Dot To Ring In Norms For Mobile Radiation ! Mobile Phone Chip To Counter Radiation Unveiled !

[Honest 836]

DoT to ring in norms for mobile radiation

31 May, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, TNN

MUMBAI: India, the world’s fastest growing telecom market, will now implement the international guidelines for minimising health hazards due to emissions from mobiles and base stations. After much deliberation, department of telecom’s (DoT) policy-making arm, Telecom Commission (TC), has adopted the guidelines prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), sources told ET.

ICNIRP guidelines prescribe permissible radiation levels for telecom installations, base stations, mobiles and handhelds. At a meeting held on May 27 in New Delhi, TC decided to adopt ICNIRP guidelines regarding basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiations, said sources.

This implies that all mobile handsets in India will compulsorily need a certification from manufacturers that they meet standards on transmission. “For base stations, the operators will have to conduct audit and provide certification that they are meeting ICNIRP standards on emission,” sources said.

ICNIRP guidelines, which provide the benchmark for maximum permissible emission, are already being followed in Spain, Germany, Australia, France, Japan and many other countries. In India, nearly 270 million customers use cellphone and there are over 1,15,000 towers, which emit electormagnetic radiations.

Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), DoT’s technical arm, has prepared the guidelines on emissions. “TEC also measured emissions at some base stations in Delhi and levels were found to be exceeding the norms in certain cases. At a later stage, TC may also set up a conformity assessment body (CAB), which will measure radiations and provide certifications. Till then, operators themselves will have to do the job,” said sources.

For handsets, SAR (specific absorption rate) is an indication of the amount of radiation that is absorbed by body while using a cellphone. The unit of SAR is watts per kilogram (W/kg) and the higher the SAR rating the more radiation absorbed.

ICNIRP has two sets of limits, one for general public exposure and another for occupational exposure. Globally, cellphones cannot be officially sold without specifying SAR level. In the US, a mobile exceeding SAR level of 1.6 W/kg cannot be sold while in Europe, manufacturers must ensure that the maximum SAR level of a cellphone does not exceed 2W/kg, this being the safety limit fixed by the EU council.

“Manufacturers of mobiles will be asked to adopt ICNIRP standards and self-certify their products,” said sources. Among the top manufacturers, Nokia is already adhering to SAR norms. “All Nokia products, including mobile devices and base stations, comply with science-based international safety standards and limits set by public health authorities, based on SAR,” a Nokia spokesperson said.

According to Indian Cellular Association president Pankaj Mohindroo, most of the handsets sold in India are branded and comply with global emission norms. Industry sources, however, said unbranded cellphones form Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, flooding the Indian market, are probably not adhering to these standards.

According to various studies, there are two types of effects of electromagnetic waves—thermal (rise in body temperature) and non-thermal, which includes behavioural effects. Some of these effects are sleep and hearing disorders, memory disturbances and cognitive disorders.

However, there is no concrete evidence of health hazards and it is widely felt that more concrete studies on the matter are needed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that “national authorities should adopt international standards to protect their citizens against adverse levels of radio frequency fields.”

[Honest 836]

COAI against measuring radiation in mobile sets

6 Jun, 2008, 2221 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: COAI, the lobby of GSM-based telecom service providers, on Friday said any move by DoT to set up an assessment body for measuring radiations from mobiles and base stations will be a "retrogade step" and will increase the costs for operators.

It is understood that the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), DoT's technical arm, is contemplating setting up of a Conformity Assessment Body to measure radiation and provide certifications to operators.

In a written communication to Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, COAI Director General T V Ramachandran said "we believe that such a measure would be a highly retrograde step as it would not only result in undue delays, duplications of efforts but would also add significantly to the costs".

He said the move is not desirable at a time when aggressive rollout at the most affordable tariffs is required.

TEC is also believed to be considering display of SAR (Specification Absorption Rate) on mobile phones through the menu options.

Most of the handsets sold in India comply with global emission norms, and their SAR values are displayed either in the device manual, or on the website of the mobile manufacturer. Hence the display of SAR values through menu options on screen is not required, he said.

However, COAI welcomed TEC decision of adopting the guidelines prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, which lay down basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting exposure to radiations from mobile base stations and handsets.

"We believe adoption of ICNIRP guidelines, which are already being followed in many countries... will go a long way in ensuring that the Indian mobile operators are in compliance with the international benchmarks," he added.

[Honest 836]

COAI against TEC panel to measure mobile radiation

7 Jun, 2008, 0042 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has expressed reservations on Telecom Engineering Centre’s (TEC) proposal to set up a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) to measure and control the electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and also to provide certifications to the operators.

Instead, the COAI, which represents GSM players in India, has argued that since the government is set to adopt the guidelines prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which lays down the basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting exposure to Electro and Magnetic field (EMF) radiation from mobile base stations and handsets, setting up another body in India for the same purpose will lead to ‘undue delays, duplications of efforts and will also add significantly to the costs of the operators’.

ICNIRP’s guidelines are endorsed by the World Health Organization and have been adopted by most international telecom majors. The guidelines also mandate that all handset manufacturers specify the specific absorption rate (SAR) which specifies the amount of radio waves (radio frequency energy) absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone.

[KumaarShah 143]

^^^

COAI's stand is very bad for the Indian subscribers of GSM services. It proves that the radiation levels are indeed high in GSM networks/handsets and the COAI is playing with the lives of Indian subscribers. COAI only wants faster network roll-outs and more customers - who cares for their lives anyway!!!

Hope TRAI, DOT and TEC take some real stern action, even if it proves costly for the COAI members to implement it.

[Honest 836]

Govt proposal to mobile makers on SAR hailed by experts

9 Jun, 2008, 2138 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: A Government proposal to make it compulsory for mobile phone manufacturers to specify the radiation levels (SAR) emitted by mobiles has been hailed by experts.

The Department of Telecom is considering guidelines according to International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standards on emission for limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiations from mobile towers and handsets.

"The dangers of people suffering from ill effects of radiation are many, such as cancer and brain tumor. Radiation can cause miscarriage in pregnant women and trouble in pacemaker or even insomania," said V.S Tripathy, president (Technical), Cogent EMR solutions, anti-radiation product making company.

"People who are living near mobile tower 400-500 metres should get their houses tested for radiation. And use anti-radiation devices to prevent diseases," said Tripathy.

Karmajyot Sewa Trust President VB Gupta said that the trust had filed a PIL in Supreme Court in August 2005 for control of radiation and norms for putting up mobile tower setup. With the united effort of several NGOs the Court had ordered the government to look into the matter, it said.

Gupta claimed that in India, nearly 270 million customers use cellphones and there are over three lakh towers, which emit electromagnetic radiations and application of ICNIRP norms would be a boon to people.

"The buying power of Indians has increased and with it the number of electronic appliances and mobile phones. All electronic appliances emit harmful radiations, strict norms should be applied to see that radiation remain within permissible limits," said Zafar Haq, Cogent Head corporate affairs.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has opposed the government proposal to make it mandatory for mobile phone manufacturers to specify radiation levels on mobile phones and monitor levels of mobile towers.

[Honest 836]

Mobile phone radiation does not pose any health risks: COAI

17 Jun, 2008, 2121 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operators Association of India, the lobby of GSM-based telecom service providers on Tuesday said the radiations from mobile phones do not pose any health risks for the users.

The COAI Director General TV Ramachandran said, "It is of paramount important to note that RF radiations emitted by mobile communication systems lie in the non-ionising part of the electromagnetic spectrum and thus do not have enough energy to cause any genetic damage."

He added that majority of reviews over the last ten years by expert panels and government agencies looking into the health and safety of mobile communications have agreed that the scientific evidence does not demonstrate any health risks from the use of mobile phones for children.

Prohibiting the use of mobile phones by children is contra to the consensus view of International scientific community and is not supported by WHO, International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), The Health Council of the Netherlands, Food and Drugs Associations, FDA (USA) and many other international bodies, he said.

With respect to recent report on banning advertisements showing children and pregnant women using mobile phones Ramachandran avowed that limits prescribed by ICNIRP, which have also been endorsed by WHO, are protective for all segments of society and no country in the world prescribes such restrictions on advertising as there is no conclusive evidence establishing linkage between use of mobile phones and its adverse impact on human health.

Ramachandran said that advisory to avoid use of mobile phones by persons, using medical aids such as pace makers, defibrillators, hearing aids, cochlear implants and in ICU, Nero planes is purely to minimise chances of interference with other electronic equipments and not based any bad affects on health.

[Honest 836]

Mobile phones pose no health risk: German study

1 Jul, 2008, 0857 hrs IST

BERLIN: One in four Germans who worry that mobile phones and their transmission towers are health hazards can now relax following studies coordinated by the Berlin-based Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS).

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said more than 50 studies in the German Mobile Telecommunications Research Programme (DMF), conducted from 2002 to 2008, had found no evidence that mobile phones and transmission towers posed a health risk within the required limits for electromagnetic radiation.

The programme was funded with 17 million euros ($26 million), a small sum compared with the billions of euros that the German government collected when it auctioned licenses for slices of Germany's UMTS airwave spectrum in 2000. Though the country's four mobile network operators provided half of the research funds, the BfS told critics that DMF procedures had ensured the objectivity of the studies.

Research focused on the functioning mechanisms of high frequency electromagnetic fields in mobile telephony, the fields' effect on humans and animals, and the amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the German public is exposed.

Several studies looked at possible effects on what is known as the blood-brain barrier, a kind of filter that prevents harmful substances in the blood from reaching neurons in the brain.

According to the BfS, the studies found no conclusive evidence that radiation from mobile telephony significantly weakened the blood-brain barrier.

Three studies dealt with the 1.5 percent of Germans who describe themselves as "electrosensitive" and blame various health problems on electromagnetic fields.

Since the ailments are typically things like headaches and sleep disorders, which could have many causes, establishing a link with electromagnetic radiation is very difficult.

The studies found that some people were quicker to sense electromagnetic fields than others, and that health complaints were not necessarily connected with radiation.

Test persons were asked to speak up as soon as they felt exposure to electromagnetic fields. Those who considered themselves electrosensitive sounded the most false alarms.

The BfS concluded there was no proof that electromagnetic fields caused the health problems named by electrosensitive people.

The research programme also included a number of epidemiological studies aimed at determining whether mobile phone users contracted certain kinds of cancer more often than nonusers.

The BfS said there was no evidence of a link.

Despite the studies' reassuring results, the "all clear" signal comes with a caveat: Mobile telephony is safe as far as we know, but we still do not know everything.

"What concerns me is that we know little about the effects on children and juveniles," remarked Rolf Buschmann, an environmental expert at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Centre in Dusseldorf.

There are no suitable scientific models at present for studies involving children.

The effects of longterm mobile phone use - 10 years or more - have not been sufficiently studied either, which is not surprising considering that the technology is still young.

For Bernd Rainer Mueller, an engineer and measurement technology specialist for the Berlin-based environmental protection organisation BUND, this is reason enough to demand lower legal limits for the electromagnetic radiation caused by mobile telephony.

"I'm afraid that otherwise half the population will have health problems at some point," he said. Mueller's fears are based in part on the justified assumption that mobile-phone use will increase in the years ahead.

For its part, the BfS also sees the need for more research on long-term mobile-phone use as well as on the effects on children and juveniles.

And it continues to advise consumers to use mobile phones as little as possible, to buy low-radiation models, and to make sure that conditions for reception are good.

[Honest 836]

DoT to follow international radiation norms

23 Jul, 2008, 2010 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Mobile handset importers and local manufacturers will now be asked to adopt international standards with regard to electro magnetic field radiation exposure.

Dropping the idea to issue its own norms, Department of Telecom has now decided to adopt international guidelines regarding electro magnetic field radiation exposure for mobile telephones and base stations.

DoT will adopt guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection with regard to basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting radiation exposure, official sources said.

A detailed system for implementation through third party would be worked out by the Telecom Engineering Centre, the technical wing of DoT, sources said.

These conditions would be incorporated in the import licence of mobile sets, if any issued by DoT. Officials said domestic manufacturers would also be asked to adopt these standards and self certify their products .

Custom authorities would be notified that the mobile handsets being imported should bear certification from manufacturers that they meet these standards.

Operators would conduct audit and provide certificates regarding meeting of standards for Base Station antennae.

ICNIRP guidelines, which provide the benchmark for maximum permissible emission, are already in force in Spain, Germany, Australia, France, Japan and many other countries. In India, nearly 270 million customers use cellphone and there are over 1,15,000 towers, which emit electormagnetic radiations.

Although all branded mobile handsets are adhering to the global norms, it is believed that Chinese handsets are not complying with them.

[Honest 836]

Now, chip away mobile radiation

20 Sep, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET

NEW DELHI: Are you worried about the effects of electro-magnetic radiation emitted by your mobile on your health? You may soon have an option to implant a polymer chip in your mobile to counter this problem. The chip — which has been certified by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Apollo, Moolchand Hospital and Manipal Hospital — is being commercialised by Ludhiana-based King Multitech.

The crystal polymer device which will neutralise the harmful effects of electro-magnetic radiations from cell phones is likely to be launched by the company in October this year. “The chip will superimpose radiations that come out of cell phones in the form of heat energy and would reduce the chances of hypertension, cancer, heart-disorders and depression by 70%,” said King Multitech CEO Karan Goel.

The product has already been patented in the US and is available in the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

In India, the efficacy of the product has been tested by ten hospitals across the country which includes AIIMS, Apollo (Chennai), Moolchand Hospital and Manipal Hospital in Bangalore, said Mr Goel.

The product is priced at Rs 1,250 in India and can be used for three years, after which the effect of the polymer starts reducing. The company has already tied up with Apollo Pharmacy and Fortis Healthworld to market and sell the product across the country. Test launches of the product in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai have already been made. The company is planning to target 25 crore mobile users in the country, Mr Goel said The company has also tied up with several cancer associations and hospitals to endorse the product and spread awareness about the harmful impact of cell phones. “People in India do not easily believe that cell phones can cause major harm to their health. While use of cell phone has become a necessity, with the use of such devices the people can at least reduce the possibility of getting affected,” Mr Goel said.

[Honest 836]

DoT asks operators to monitor radiation levels from cell towers

Business Line l Nov 6 l New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov. 6 The Department of Telecom has asked mobile operators to give self certification on the amount of radiation emitted from various cellular base stations across the country as per international radiation norms.

Though there are no concrete evidence of any direct link between cellular radiation and cancer, most countries are adopting these standards as a precaution.

DoT has asked the operators to monitor the emission levels as prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) which lays down the basic restrictions and reference levels for limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiations from mobile base stations and handsets.

The decision to allow the operators to self regulate is in line with the demands of the various industry bodies. DoT was earlier considering to set up a Conformity Assessment Body to carry out the measurement on a random basis on behalf of the Government. This was, however, opposed by cellular operators. There are over 3 lakh mobile towers in the country, which is known to emit electromagnetic radiation.

Cellular operators maintain that the level of radiation at any tower is under permissible levels and the assessment body would have only resulted in delays and increased costs.

[Honest 836]

Mobile phone chip to counter radiation unveiled

Brussels l 9 Dec l REUTERS

Belgian health products distributor Omega Pharma will launch a chip it claims can counter potentially damaging radiation from mobile phones and has high hopes for its sales.

The company, which sells non-prescription products such as wart treatments, pregnancy tests and sun tan lotions to pharmacists, unveiled the E-waves phone chip on Tuesday, a day before its launch in Belgium.

Testing of the chip, which offsets the electromagnetic radiation from the phone, showed it lessened symptoms such as headaches and loss of concentration that might be associated with mobile phone use, Omega said.

It also neutralized the heating effect within the body produced by electromagnetic signals.

Testing of consumers appetite for the product, costing 38.95 euros ($50.1), will start on Wednesday.

The company will only have 30,000 of the chips available on day one, but believes it can ramp up production easily for foreign expansion.

"If we need 10 million, then we'll go for that," Chief Executive Marc Coucke told Reuters on the sidelines of the launch, although he said that was not a forecast.

Coucke and the scientists who have developed the chip argue there is a growing body of evidence showing a link between mobile phone use and the growth of tumors.

"It's like smoking. Eventually we reached a point where the health impact is widely acknowledged," Coucke said.

However, scientists worldwide remain split between those that believe there is a risk and others who believe there is insufficient evidence to show mobile phones are unsafe.

Omega, which has exclusive international distribution rights, will begin selling the product in other countries from early 2009. It will also launch three similar devices designed for use in the car, linked to a computer and in the home.

Omega competes with the over-the-counter arms of pharma giants such as Johnson & Johnson and Bayer and of consumer products groups such as Procter & Gamble.

Omega, the only sizeable stand-alone OTC company, ranks itself 11th in the world in that market. It is mainly active in western Europe, but is also pushing into eastern Europe.