NEW DELHI: New radiation emission guidelines for mobile phones and telecom towers finalised by the government this week will, for the first time, stipulate emission levels for handsets sold in India and make it compulsory for these levels to be displayed on phones and retail outlets.
It will also become mandatory for handsfree devices to be sold with handsets as the government feels the use of these devices will significantly reduce the risk of exposure from electromagnetic waves. At present, about 645 models of low-end handsets don't comply with the new emission standards and will have to be redesigned, said the industry body that represents handset makers in the country.
In a presentation to the government in July this year, the Indian Cellular Association had said the industry will take 6-9 months to redesign these handsets, and their prices would increase by 5-30%. The sale of ultra-low cost handsets will have to be completely stopped, it warned. The new guidelines are expected to be formally announced by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal shortly.
The minister has instructed his officials to prepare an implementation road map. The telecom department has finalised these norms in response to growing concerns about impact on consumer health from excessive mobile usage. An inter-ministerial group consisting of representatives from the communications, health, and environment ministries had earlier this year concluded that radiation from mobile phones and towers poses serious health risks.
"People chronically exposed to such radiation have reported unspecific symptoms, ranging from burning and tingling sensation in the scalp, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, ringing in the ears, headache and palpitation," the report said. It suggested that children, adolescents and pregnant women should avoid excessive use of cellphones while people with medical implants should keep their cellphone at least 30 cm away while talking.
The final norms prepared by the telecom department are largely in line with the recommendations of the inter-ministerial group. Radiation emitted by cellphones varies from instrument to instrument, and is measured in terms of specific absorption rate (SAR) — the amount of radio waves absorbed by the body tissue when aphone is in use. The new rules state that cellphones can be imported and sold in India only if the SAR level is below 1.6 watts per kg (W/kg). So far, India had unofficially followed European norms.
Guidelines Closer to US Norms
These norms state the maximum SAR level must not exceed 2 W/kg but the new standard is closer to the US norms. The guidelines state that SAR value, or the radiation emitted by the handset, must be specified on the device, its manual, the box as well as the websites of both the company and the DoT. The radiation figure of each handset model must also be displayed prominently at all retail outlets that sell mobile phones.
Leading handset makers did not comment, as the rules were not public yet. But an executive with a telco said that with the exception of low-cost phones, most handsets were already adhering to the US specified radiation limits. For instance, the Apple iPhone 4 has a SAR value of 1.17, the Samsung Galaxy S2 has a SAR of 0.338, while for the BlackBerry Curve 8310, the corresponding value is at 0.72. Radiation limits for towers have also been tightened to a tenth of the existing exposure level.
But a key recommendation of the inter-ministerial group, regarding restrictions on installation of towers close to schools and hospitals, has been kept out of the guidelines for the time being. Sibal has asked the DoT to prepare a comprehensive list of places where towers would not be allowed. The minister has also suggested towers should be installed in cities and metros after taking safety clearance from the urban development ministry.
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-11-19/news/30419525_1_sar-level-mobile-phones-handsets
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