Radio Frequency Exposure Limits To Be Slashed To 1/10th Of Current Levels
New Delhi: India is all set to clamp down on excessive radiation emanating from cellphones and towers. According to the new norms coming into effect from September 1, the radio frequency (RF) exposure limits to be lowered to 1/10th of the existing level. It will also become mandatory for the specific absorption level (SAR) — the rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body — to be embossed and displayed on mobile handsets. SAR levels shall also be limited to 1.6 watt/kg, averaged over a mass of 1 gm of human tissue. Handset made and sold in India or imported will now be checked for compliance. The government is also amending the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, to ensure that only handsets satisfying radiation standards are imported/ made or sold in India. MoS for communications and IT Sachin Pilot said, "Necessary changes in the design and packaging for compliance with this instruction will have to be in place on or before September 1. More stringent self-certification will become mandatory for every tower and mobile handset." He added, "The ministry will conduct random checks for RF exposure. Violation of radiation limits or non-certification will entail a fine of Rs 5 lakh per tower. Stricter action will be taken against repeat offenders." The new norms stipulate the mobile handset booklet to instruct use of a wireless hands-free system (headphone or headset) with a low-power bluetooth emitter to cut radiation to the head. It will also say, "When buying a cellphone, make sure it has a low SAR." The booklet will have to tell the consumer to either keep their phone calls short or use SMS, especially for children, adolescents and pregnant women. Manufacturers must also instruct people with medical implants like pacemakers not to keep their phones in shirt pockets. Instead, they will have to keep their cellphone at least 30 cm away from the implant. The International Agency for Research on Cancer — an arm of the World Health Organization had recently classified cellphone radiation, alongside gasoline engine exhaust, lead and DDT, as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" that increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Tuesday, "Many countries have developed their own health-based precautionary guidelines where the exposure limit of these radiations is very low." The ministerial committee's report said, "The area of concern is the radiation emitted by base stations and their antennas. This is because, in contrast to mobile handsets, it is emitted continuously and is more powerful at close quarters." The manufacturer's handset booklet must ask consumers to use a wireless hands-free system with a low-power bluetooth emitter to cut radiation to the head
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