If cell phone and cell phone tower radiation really is safe, why is India legislating to protect consumers?

Thursday, October 04, 2012 by: Lloyd Burrell
Tags: cell phone towers, radiation, India

(NaturalNews) Once a third world economy, India is now leading the rest of the world when it comes to protecting consumers from the effects of radiation emanating from cell phones and cell phone towers.

When it comes to cell phones, the plan is simple and to the point: India, as of September 1, has decreased the acceptable amount of radio frequencies (RF) to 1/10 of the previous limits.

SARs, a measure of the rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body, must now be embossed and displayed on cell handsets where they can be easily seen and have an impact on consumer decisions.

Supplementary safety advice from manufacturers must also be provided for:

• Recipients of medical implants
• Young people
• Pregnant women

India's Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, has been altered to ensure these new standards are applicable for phones produced in India as well as those coming in from other countries.

Cell phone towers

While cell phones are a major health concern, cell phone towers are potentially even more dangerous due to the fact that the radiation being emitted from these towers is constant and stronger.

What is behind all of this concern and the implementation of new standards?

One answer comes from a unit of the World Health Organization, specifically the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The organization views radiation from cellphones as dangerous and has classified it as a Class 2B carcinogen, meaning the radiation in question is "possibly carcinogenic to humans," with a higher risk for certain types of cancer, including cancer originating in the brain.

Another answer comes from the work of Professor Girish Kumar. Following his campaign, the local government of Gurgaon, shut down 298 cell towers in residential areas in January of last year.

The industry experts' claim that "Non-thermal biological effects have not been shown to be a health hazard" is wearing very thin. Non-thermal effects are known to be several times more harmful than thermal effects. Professor Kumar has produced a separate 50 page report with nearly 200 technical and scientific references to prove this. There are viable solutions.

What are the solutions?

Solutions can be found in the recommendations issued by the New Delhi Ministry. To prevent overlapping of high radiation fields the ministry recommends:

• That new cell towers should not be permitted within a radius of one km of the existing towers
• The mandatory sharing of passive infrastructure for Telecom Service Providers at city/district/village level to minimize the need for having additional towers
• Location-wise GIS mapping of all cell phone towers to help in monitoring the population of birds and bees in and around the mobile towers and also in and/or around wildlife protection areas

Other activities to regulate the radiation stemming from cell phone towers comes from the Rajasthan High Court in Rajasthan, India where the court has authorized the state to take action by:

• Discarding towers already present on school grounds and hospitals
• Calculating how many people with cancer reside close to the towers
• Evaluating the conditions surrounding two specific residents of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, whose cancers may stem from cell phone towers

Nobody is saying ban cell phone towers, without antennas the network would not exist and people could not talk to each. What people are saying is "why transmit so much power?" India is now leading the way in terms of cell phone and cell tower consumer protection. Other nations need to pay attention and introduce legislation to protect consumers worldwide.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.scribd.com
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://zeenews.india.com
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://inthesenewtimes.com

About the author:
Lloyd Burrell is the founder of http://www.electricsense.com/. Since falling prey to a violent reaction to his cell phone in 2002 Lloyd has spent more than 10 years researching the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on health. He is the author of an eBook entitled "How To Beat Electrical Sensitivity" which offers a solution to the growing number of people whose health is being compromised by exposure to wireless and similar technologies.

You can download his free EMF Health Report and subscribe to his newsletter by visiting his website ElectricSense.com. You can also follow him on Facebook , Twitter, Youtube and Google+.