India to Fund Mega Research Program on Mobile Radiation

Centre nod to mega research on mobile radiation

Somit Sen, Times of India, Apr 3, 2015

The permission by the Union government’s department of science and technology will not affect research underway by Mumbai-based Tata Memorial Centre and the Indian Council of Medical Research. 

MUMBAI: Sixteen leading scientific institutions across India have been allowed to conduct research on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), particularly radiating from cell phone towers, on human health.

The permission by the Union government's department of science and technology will not affect research underway by Mumbai-based Tata Memorial Centre and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

"It is the first time the Indian government is going for a massive evaluation of the health aspects of mobile radiation," said sources in the mobile phone industry. The scientific institutions have been identified for support through a peer review process, primarily based on the competence of the individual researcher(s), their research track record, availability of infrastructure in the researcher's institute, etc.

The focus will be on the impact of EMF-related issues on the human body, including dosimetry (study of radiation absorbed by the body), brain-related effects, biochemical studies, effects on reproduction pattern, comparison of animal and human models, plant system, and remedial measures.

The 16 institutions include the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore; AIIMS, New Delhi and Uttarakhand; IITs in Kharagpur, New Delhi and Madras; and Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh.

World Health Organisation, which monitors such studies and releases periodic updates, had said in its October 2014 advisory: "A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use."

However, anti-radiation activists fear clusters of cell tower antennae close to residential buildings pose a major threat to health.

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--
Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

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