An expert at World Health Organization (WHO) has exploded the myth the mobile tower radiation causes adverse health effects. He said that Indian radiation norm of one tenth of global standard lowest and safest.

There has been lot of hue and cry in the country about the health hazards such as cancer associated with the mobile tower radiation.

He also said that the contrary to the popular myth, Schools, hospitals safest to install mobile phone towers. These facts have been verified by Prof (Dr.) Michael Repacholi, Radiation Expert & the first Coordinator of World Health Organization’s Radiation and Environmental Health Unit, known for initiating the International EMF Project at WHO in Geneva in 1995.

Repacholi who is on a maiden visit to India to release a book titled “Mobile Phones and Public Health - Myths and Reality” said that from all the high quality studies that have been published and the reviews of all the studies by international and national public health authorities, it can be safely concluded that it has not been established that mobile phones/ towers use causes or is associated with any health risks.

In his book he has addressed the misconceptions, concerns, fears related to mobile tower radiations.

Repacholiemphasized WHO studies have already proven that mobile phones do not affect human health. Cancer or brain tumor apart, it doesn't cause even headaches or sleep disorder.

“I’m mighty impressed to learn that Indian government radiation norm to be one tenth of global standard which are by far lowest and safest in the world,” said an overwhelmed Prof (Dr.) Repacholi.
 
“A person absorbs five times more RF from FM radio or television than the base station tower. Mobile tower radiation is lower compared to RF emissions from radio FM or television. The base station and wireless technology signals are too weak and modulation effects occur at much higher intensity levels,” Prof (Dr.) Repacholi said while interacting with the media after releasing the book.

Prof (Dr.) Repacholi said, “The radiation waves always orbit on the same levels and do not come downwards. Hence, there is no possibility of causing harm to people.”

He also dismissed the views that mobile radiation levels higher than the prescribed limit can have ill effects on human health.

He added that speaking on a mobile phone (held against the ear) increases the brain's temperature by less than 0.1 degrees Celsius. "It is not alarming at all," re-stressing that mobile phones and towers cannot cause headaches, nausea and sleep disorders.

Recently Department of Telecommunication (DoT) raised the penalty for violation of cell tower radiation limits from 5lakh to Rs10 lakh in view of health hazards associated it.

The move is aimed at ensuring that there is no complacency on the part of the operators on the issue.

A circular issued by DoT on November 20 says, “In case of non-compliance of actual radiation norms, a penalty of Rs10 lakh per Base Transceiver Station (BTS) will be imposed.”

In December last year the government has said that the radiation norms for telecom towers (Base Transmitting Station) has come down to one-tenth of the existing limits prescribed by International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

DoT in the year 2008, adopted the Electro-magnetic Fields (EMF) norms prescribed by ICNIRP in respect of mobile towers.