A government organization has suggested that the forced decrease of cell phone tower installations in heavily populated areas of India resulting from ongoing radiation concerns may be pressuring cell phones to compensate by increasing transmission power, exposing users to higher amounts of radiation.
According to an October 2012 report released by the Department of Telecommunications, “a human body is exposed to more EMF (electromagnetic field) radiation in case of a call from mobile phone in comparison to the radiation from a mobile tower. The mobile phone is a weak source of radio frequency signal, but it is very close to the human body,”
Analysts also suggest that because India depends “almost exclusively” on wireless technologies for communication, employing a smaller amount of cell phone towers would push each individual tower to radiate more power in order to keep up with demand.
Approximately 350-400 towers have been shut down in Jaipur following a September 2012 Rajasthan High Court order banning the placement of cell phone towers on top of schools and hospitals, while 100 towers in Mumbai are estimated to have been disabled after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) imposed the same ban. Approximately 5,000 active towers within Delhi and Mumbai are estimated to still be in violation of the new rules.
For more information, visit the Indian Express.
To view the DOT “Mobile Communication Radio Waves & Safety” report, click here.
Image: Nita Jatar Kulkarni; www.stockpicturesforeveryone.com/2011/02/mobile-phone-towers-in-urban-areas.html
