Fratibha Masand, TNN May 13, 2013,

MUMBAI: Excessive use of cellphones can cause the deadliest of health hazards among users, from hearing loss to neuro-endocrine disruption, hormonal imbalance and cancer.

Over the last decade, cellular phone usage has grown exponentially with the introduction of new communication systems and newer and smaller phone models. But it is a mark of how much people use cellphones these days, that doctors report as much as a 50% hearing loss among users.

Dr Divya Prabhat, ENT surgeon with Bhatia and Wadia hospitals, said he had been getting many patients who complain of pain in the ears and even hearing loss.

"The most common complaint is that after they hang up, the ears get hot. Many patients come with complaints of tinnitus, where there is a buzzing in the ears. This also results in irritability and lack of concentration," he said.
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Freny Kavarana, a resident of Shree Samarth building in Dadar’s Parsi Colony, says that she feels “horrible” when sitting in her room. Operated for a cancerous tumour in her stomach last year, Kavarana and three other people in her building blame cell phone tower radiation for the disease.

Despite minister of state for communications and information and technology, Milind Deora, stating that there is no proof that radiation from cell phone towers is hazardous to health, citizens continue to be apprehensive.

After six cases of cancer were reported in the past three years in the neighbourhood, the residents of the Parsi Colony are a panicked lot. They have put up banners and distributed handbills in the area, inviting people for a meeting on April 28, protesting against the cell phone towers on buildings in the vicinity.

Kavarana, who is still undergoing treatment post her surgery last year, says, “I can’t prove it, but people like me — who have suffered from cancer — have a strong suspicion that it is due to the cell phone towers that came up around here a few years ago.”
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Delhi man lost son to cancer due to cellphone towers radiation, goes to high court

New Delhi, Mar 9: Shrinivasan Sharma, a 76-year-old resident of Pitampura, northwest Delhi, has filed a writ petition before the Delhi High court for removal of three cellphone towers from his locality, saying that high amount of radiation from these towers led to the death of his 47-year-old son due to cancer last year.

The three cellphone towers are located a few metres away from his home in Sharda Niketan colony.

The 76-year-old father has alleged that three "deadly" towers installed in the 24-house Sharda Niketan colony have not only claimed his son's life but also killed as many as seven others in less than two years.
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Government sets up laboratory at TEC for testing radiation level of mobile phone

The country's first laboratory for testing and measuring mobile phone radiation was formally commissioned at the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) in New Delhi on Monday

The government has said that new mobile phones manufactured in the country or imported should start following the stricter radiation norms by September 1. The radiation level should be displayed on such handsets. TEC's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) laboratories, which would measure the level of radiation emitted by mobile handsets, has been set up at a cost of Rs.2.5 crore. Currently, cell phone makers either self-certify the level or get it certified from international accredited labs.
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http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mobile-phone-radiation-level-tec-telecom-ministry-sa...

Following the WHO report classifying radiation emitted from mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic, a new global report has reaffirmed the risks involved with using such technology. BioInitiative 2012, a collaborative effort by 29 authors from 10 countries, has listed brain tumour and loss of fertility in men as possible health hazards associated with exposure to radio frequency radiation emitted by mobile phone handsets and signal towers. Given that India is the fastest growing market for mobile phones in the world, the ramifications are indeed worrisome. Despite the growing body of research, there continues to be a serious lack of consumer awareness on the subject. Combined with the fact that mobile phones are increasingly becoming vital tools of modern life, there is an urgent need for regulation and oversight.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Mobile-phone-industry-must-ha...

Following the WHO report classifying radiation emitted from mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic, a new global report has reaffirmed the risks involved with using such technology. BioInitiative 2012, a collaborative effort by 29 authors from 10 countries, has listed brain tumour and loss of fertility in men as possible health hazards associated with exposure to radio frequency radiation emitted by mobile phone handsets and signal towers. Given that India is the fastest growing market for mobile phones in the world, the ramifications are indeed worrisome. Despite the growing body of research, there continues to be a serious lack of consumer awareness on the subject. Combined with the fact that mobile phones are increasingly becoming vital tools of modern life, there is an urgent need for regulation and oversight.
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today declined to get involved in setting up a body independent of the government to regulate radiation from cellphone towers.

It was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that wants the court to direct the government to ban installation of cellphone towers in highly populated areas, protected natural areas and spaces where endangered species live as well as make environment impact assessments mandatory.
Read more:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/cellphone-towers-supreme-court-refuses-to-intervene-2...

Vashi : Unable to convince her neighbours of the possible health hazards from the cluster of cell phone towers atop the next building, B.S. Mahajan, a retired senior scientist and professor from the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, has decided to complain to the telecom enforcement and resource monitoring (TERM) cell.

This cell, under the Department of Telecom (DoT), which monitors radiation from cell phone towers on the insistence of citizens has received around 250 complaints across Mumbai but have able to attend to only 40 so far.

Mahajan, who is also a trustee of the Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA), gets a clear view of the six cell towers erected on the terraces of three buildings opposite to her’s. Three to four antennas are also attached to the terraces of the two buildings right across the street from Mahajan’s building in Vashi’s quiet neighbourhood in Sector 9.

Mahajan has suggested that the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) should include the monitoring of radiation levels in its annual Environment Status Report so as to map radiation coming out from areas in Navi Mumbai.
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For the past couple of months, apart from the scams, what’s also making news is the issue of mobile phone tower radiation. Recently new radiation norms were adopted by India and the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) had set September 1 as the deadline for the telecom operators to adhere to them. As per the new norms, the operators were mandated to reduce the radiation levels by 1/10th of the current levels, thus making it 0.9 watt/m2. Furthermore, it was announced that operators who are found flouting these rules would be heavily penalised.

While many welcomed this news, the critics were quick to point out that even this was not safe. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the radiation being emitted from the mobile phone towers can be a cause of cancer. The answer to this question is a tricky one as the scientific data available to date doesn’t clearly state whether or not radiation emitted from the mobile phone towers can cause cancer. Even the WHO report terms it a probable factor. Government officials as well as the operators are using the lack of proper scientific evidence as a defensive shield to fend off critics.
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VADODARA: Even as Union government has rolled out new norms to reduce impact of cellphone radiation on people, a new study has revealed that the increasing electromagnetic wave energy (EMWE) pollution is adversely impacting even plant issues.

EMWE pollution is caused due to mobile towers, power plants, high voltage towers and diagnostic tools which use electromagnetic waves of different frequencies in radio wave spectrum.

A group of scientists of Gujarat after studying the impact of EMWE on tulsi and spinach have concluded that the electromagnetic waves leave behind harmful effect even on plants.

The scientists selected the two types of plants and raised them by providing nutrients, water and temperature under laboratory conditions. These plants were exposed by EMWE of frequency 900 Mega hertz and field strength 1.9 milli tesla for 72 hours.

The scientists carried out both physiological and biochemical analysis of these plants.
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Even as activists and residents continue their campaign against mobile tower radiation, cellular operators have claimed that removing mobile towers from buildings put expose you to more radiation as your handset will have to work harder to receive signals.

At a conference organised by the Indian Medical Association on Sunday, Ranjan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India, said: "When a cell phone tower is removed from your building, your handset will increase its power to receive signal, thereby emitting more radiation. Since you are closer to your handset than the cell towers, you will be exposed to even more radiation than before."
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Hyderabad: With the recent judgment given by High Court related to setting up of cell phone towers, government has issued new guidelines. To set up cell phone towers in villages, taking permission from the gram Panchayat is made mandatory. Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayat – Erection or Telecommunication Towers Rules – 2012 has been issued by the state government of Andhra Pradesh. GO no. 334 is issued on 9th October, 2012 by Panchayat raj chief secretary CR Biswal.

Till now cell phone companies were setting up towers without taking any permission from village Panchayats. These permissions were obtained from the state level. Panchayats were only given information. With the order of High Court, government has now introduced new guidelines. Obtaining permission from Gram Panchayat officer will be in two stages. Temporary permission is given in the first stage. If the erection of cell tower is according to the guidelines, permission will be given for the cell tower
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Four residents of an Altamont Road building in Mumbai have been detected with cancer. They blame it on the telecom towers set-up on the top of the building facing theirs. The two buildings have been having serious problems because of these towers. The residents association of the locality held a meeting to convince the building owners to remove the towers in view of health hazards.

“Earning that extra money is the reason for building owners agreeing to install telecom towers. But they are putting so many people living in surrounding areas at risk. I receive so many complaints and letters from people who are suffering from radiation-related diseases. They are living in fear and do not know who to reach out to,” says Prakash Munshi, a senior citizen, who has taken up the cause under his informally formed group called Citizens Against Health Hazards from Mobile Towers.

Munshi along with Actor Juhi Chawla has been successful in removing 13 towers in three months of campaigning. But that’s just a drop in the ocean. There are over 3.5 lakh towers in the country atop buildings, roof tops and even hanging out from residential balconies.

“Studies carried out by experts show high radiation levels in our buildings. I suffer from frequent headaches,” Shiv Kumar Jaiswal, a cable operator residing in a congested north Kolkata locality says. There are two towers operating located atop his building. The Seths who reside on the building’s top floor is amongst the worst impacted. Their kids suffer from frequent health hazards that include headaches and sleeplessness. Attempts to set up a new tower in a nearby building were stalled by the residents recently.
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Sudha Subramanian, Sept 27, 2012

Have you lent your mobile phone to your kid, just so that you can have your peace? While that is no crime, it can become a difficult habit to break.

In recent years, phones have become an extension of our body. They have changed their stature from the one that you use to make an emergency call to the one you can befriend. More so, with the advent of smart phones, and the introduction of apps. There are many apps, that are entertaining and educating. Children learn to draw, read and even explore the most complex scientific formula with the help of a phone app. Then, what can possibly be wrong with one? Here’s the truth.
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/281262/dont-let-children-overuse-cell.html

Paul John, TNN | Sep 29, 2012

AHMEDABAD: With the harmful effects of mobile tower microwave radiations becoming a concern in major cities, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) over the past week has been feverishly counting the number of cell towers installed in the city-and looking for their proximity to schools, residential areas and hospitals.

The AMC , the Cellular Operators Association of India (CAOI) and an agency, Indus towers, are toying with the idea of introducing cellular street furniture-which are high masts that will be installed along main streets at close proximity, to cut down on radiation intensity.

But for public health, the AMC would have to forgo a large chunk of its revenue from service providers. This is because individual service providers pay AMC Rs 40 lakh per kilometer for digging roads while laying cables and other equipments for the cellular towers.
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The new norms to be adopted by the Department of Telecom (DoT) to curb levels of radiation emitted from mobile towers are likely to reduce the health risk to humans by only a fraction.

As per the norms which are already in place, the radiation levels have to drop to 1/10th of the existing power density. As a result, the current density which is at 92 per watt per square metre (W/Sqm) will now have to be reduced to 0.92 W/Sqm. Similarly for the 900 Mhz GSM users the power density will be reduced from 48 W/Sqm to 0.48 W/Sqm.

However, if the recommendations made to DoT in 2010 by a professor of IIT Mumbai are anything to go by, the reduction in radiation levels decided upon by the Inter Ministerial Committee, falls far short of what is required.
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/277639/mobile-tower-radiation-cut-wont.html

JAIPUR: The Supreme Court has came down heavily on the installation of overhead mobile towers on schools buildings.

Dismissing a special leave petition filed by Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI), the division bench of Justice H L Dattu and Justice Chandramauli Prasad upheld the interim order by Rajasthan high court asking mobile companies to remove towers installed over schools and near hospitals.
Read more:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Remove-cell-towers-from-schools-Supreme-...

Source of Information:
www.thehindubusinessline.com

Apex court declines to interfere with Rajasthan HC order on mobile tower removal

New Delhi, Sept 7:

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with a Rajasthan High Court order to the state government to remove mobile phone towers, suspected to be potential health hazards due to radiation from them, from near the schools, hospitals and densely populated localities.
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http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article3870698.ece

New Delhi: Radiation from mobile towers may have varying negative impact on wildlife especially birds and bees, according to the Environment Ministry.

Amid concerns over health hazards and impact on wildlife due to mobile tower radiation, the Environment Ministry has issued an advisory asking the Department of Telecommunications not to permit new mobile towers within a one-km radius of the existing ones.

Noting there was a need to prevent the negative impact of electro-magnetic radiations (EMR) on birds and bees, the Ministry directed that the new towers should be constructed with utmost care and precautions "so as not to obstruct flight path of birds, and also not to increase the combined radiation from all towers in the area".
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http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/radiation-from-mobile-towers-may-affect-wildlife...

Concerned at radiation, Ministry asks DoT not to allow overlapping mobile towers

Pitching in on the current debate on the possible danger of cellphone radiation, the Environment Ministry says a review of available scientific information by its panel of experts shows that “electromagnetic radiations interfere with the biological systems.” Accordingly, it has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) not to allow new mobile towers to be constructed within a one-kilometre radius of the existing towers.

The advisory was issued by the Ministry after it received the report of an expert committee set up two years ago to study the possible impacts of the half a million strong network of communication towers on wildlife, including birds and bees. There has been widespread concern that radiation from such towers is responsible for the declining population of birds such as sparrows, and bees which are vital for the pollination of many plant species and hence a key part of both agricultural economy and natural ecosystems.
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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3751337.ece

The department of telecommunications (DoT) is set to reject mobile operators demand to “keep in abeyance” its directive to reduce radiation levels of cell phone towers to 1/10th of existing level from September 1.

An internal DoT committee headed by senior deputy director general (DDG) has rejected industry's demand.

In a representation to the communications ministry, the industry said the radiation norms would impact area of coverage of a base transmission station (BTS), which are installed on towers. This will in turn “deteriorate the coverage.”
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http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/DoT-turns-down-telcos-plea-to-keep-ra...