1,800
Tower lobby: Four telecom towers on the roofs of buildings opposite the Taimoor Nagar Gurdwara cause the EMR levels there to soar Photo: SHAILENDRA PANDEY |
Three years after doing this, in 2000, Dastur suffered a stroke that paralysed his body and distorted and froze his face. The doctor treating him at
Four-fiths of |
There is a cell phone tower on the roof of Dastur’s office in
But, the EMR from the cell phone towers was too big a risk for Dastur’s paralysis and besides, even his family was dealing with increasing headaches, muscle twitching, involuntary limb movement, sleeplessness and other nervous system disorders. Dastur wrote often, asking the authorities to remove the towers. They did not. so he had no choice. Lead sheets were a lesser evil. “We are stuck between the devil and the deep sea.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s home is a ‘borderline’ zone. The headquarters of the Congress is highly unsafe |
There is no other way to say this. Radiation levels of the non-nuclear kind in
These are the findings of a TEHELKA survey of radiation levels in 100 spots across In the case of eMr from cell towers, however, the risk to health is public. Therefore, TehelkA conducted the radiation survey in public places, with Cogent eMr Solutions limited, a Delhibased company that tracks the increase in eMr levels across
The following are some of the findings of the survey. it is virtually a radiation map of
● Forty of the 100 spots have “extreme anomaly” in radiation levels. This means the levels are close to seven times the safe limit. These are high risk areas. The readings were so high at times that the device used to measure the radiation, a High Frequency Analyser, could not record the radiation anymore
●Thirty-one spots have “unsafe” radiation levels. This means the levels are two to six times the safe limit
● Nine spots are “borderline”, just over the safe limit
● Only 20 of the 100 spots surveyed in
●
● Safdarjung hospital,
●The prime Minister’s residence,
Cell radiation is slow poison. Effects begin with fatigue and could end in cancer. It is nearfatal for ones with pacemakers |
● 10 Janpath, where Congress president Sonia Gandhi lives, is safe
● Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is safe at her official residence,
●The opening and closing ceremonies, and the athletics competition, of the Commonwealth Games will be held in unsafe areas
●The Yamuna Sports Complex, where the Games table tennis and archery competitions will be held, is unsafe
Quick Transit To Dangertown The BESIDES The EMR at these spots was measured with an electric field strength metre. The maximum limit according to internationally accepted SBM 2003 standards is 5 volt/meter. A German society of scientists came up with these SBM Standards suggesting safe radiation levels for humans. However, the radiation readings at the six metro spots exceeded this. ● At Shastri Nagar Metro Terminal Complex, it was 11000 v/m ● Just beyond Yamuna Bridge on the Shahdara Line, the radiation was 3000 v/m ● Adjacent to Ashok Nagar Metro Station, the reading was 8200 v/m ● Adjacent to Mayur Vihar II Metro Station, it was 9000 v/m ● A building opposite Mayur Vihar I Metro Station registered 12000 v/m ● Outside Noida Sector 15 Metro Station, the metre read 11500 v/m The hazards to health from electric and magnetic fields emitted in such neighbourhoods by the metro power line are the same as that from cell tower radiation. This means they could cause minor ailments like headaches and sleep disorders in the short term, and make people more prone to lifethreatening diseases like cancer in the long term. Constant exposure, in case of metro power lines running in close proximity of homes, causes risks such as childhood leukaemia, damage to DNA, leakage of calcium and reduction in sperm count A properly grounded metal wire grill around the tracks could help prevent direct exposure to homes in close proximity. However, as with the case of radiation from cell towers, there is a stunning lack of awareness among the general public about the safety guidelines for laying metro power lines within residential localities and market places. One would have to go deep into project details, if made available by the authorities concerned, to know the safety measures followed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Also, Cogent says a far greater number of measurements are needed to conclusively establish constant and high levels of radiation along the elevated metro line. |
Generally, radiation is either nuclear or electromagnetic. Nuclear radiation is a form of ionising radiation that harms instantly, like the Cobalt 60 isotope in Mayapuri,
EMR from cell phone towers is a form of non-ionising radiation that takes time to show up. it does not interrupt DNA and is similar to the way smoking affects the human body. EMR is like slow poison; it tends to lull people to its effects. So, people may complain of headaches and fatigue, for instance, and attribute them to the hurly-burly of daily life. in time, they may develop a high risk of cancer.
Most of the radiation risk is because the cell phone towers are in residential colonies when they should be away from such places; the antennae on the towers are too low when they ought to be at greater height; they are far too many when there should be fewer; and they are in the wrong places though guidelines specifically state where they should not be.
EMR safety standards in India are based largely on a 1996 document called ‘Health Assessment Statement’ by the Internatio - nal Commission on Non-Ionising Radia - tion Protection (ICNIRP), an international independent non-profit registered in Germany. ICNIRP has science experts who “address the possible adverse effects on human health of exposure to non-ionising radiation”. In their assessment, the ICNIRP said 600 milliwatt/metre square was a safe limit of radiation for the general public. The ICNIRP also issued separate guidelines on maintaining safe limits for cell phone towers, which
The high risk is because greedy telecom companies do not self-regulate. The official agencies allow wrongdoing |
The TEHELKA survey mapped five schools in
The case of the
Common health The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the Commonwealth Games will be held, has unsafe EMR levels Photo: SHAILENDRA PANDEY |
This is another shock because those who are unwell are far more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation. Patients with pacemakers might even run the risk of death. One of these spots, the Shanti Avedna Sadan near Safdarjung hospital, is actually a “Home for the Continuing Care for Cancer Patients”. And cancer is a possible long-term consequence of radiation.
The TEHELKA survey mapped three Commonwealth Games sites and only one turned up safe: the
Shockingly, hospitals and schools are in high risk zones. Safdarjung, RML, |
Doctors and scientists describe shortterm health disorders caused by this kind of radiation as “microwave sickness” or “radiofrequency syndrome”. This includes headache, fatigue, irritability, sleeping disorders, difficulties in concentration, difficulty in remembering things, depression, and loss of appetite. Diseases contracted in the long term could include leukaemia and brain tumour.
This situation has been caused because the official guidelines for setting up cell phone towers are not followed. In January 2008, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna approved a set of stronger guidelines for the installation of cell phone towers. These included:
● No base station antennae within schools and hospitals because children and patients are more susceptible to electromagnetic fields
● No antennae in narrow lanes to reduce the risks caused by earthquake or wind-related disaster
● Antennae should be at least three metres away from a nearby building and must not directly face the building
● The lower end of the antenna should be at least three metres above the ground or a roof
● Sharing common tower infrastructure should be explored in case of multiple transmitter sites
● Access to base station antenna sites must be prohibited for the general public by wire fencing, locking the door to the roof, etc.
● Access to a tower site should be for a minimum period, as far as possible, even for maintenance personnel
●Warning signs must be at antenna sites saying: “Danger! RF radiations, Do not enter!” and “Restricted Area”
| THE MEDICAL CONSEQUENCES Hazards from EMR range from short to long term. A headache today could mean a tumour tomorrow IMMEDIATELY Could hinder pacemakers and ICDs, which could be fatal for patients 3 YEARS Appetite loss, sleep disorders, headaches, short term memory loss 4-5 YEARS Tinnitus, muscle spasms, visual disorder, skin ailments 5-10 YEARS Drop in sperm count, cardio and respiratory problems 8-10 YEARS Acoustic neuroma, brain tumour, leukaemia |
For instance, a residential building opposite
Delhi Blue apartments, a relatively well-maintained residential building a block away from Safdarjung hospital, has three cell towers on it. Delhi Blue is adjacent to the Shanti Avedna Sadan, a home for cancer patients. Then, there are several antennae on top of the Fortis hospital building. There are three towers a block from the Batra hospital. And so it goes, violation after violation. The problem partly is because radiation from cell phone towers is monitored according to guidelines, not laws. A guideline has no penalty if violated.
INA market is close to AIIMS and is a favourite haunt of embassy staff. It has hundreds of footfalls a day as people pick their fruit, vegetables and meats. Sanjeev Kumar, 24, works in a dhaaba in the market and sleeps in a rooftop shanty. Kumar is from
Trouble is, there are four cell phone towers where Kumar sleeps, and there are more shanties between the towers. There are no signs warning of danger from radiation. There is nothing to warn Kumar and the others to stay away. Instead, there is an advertisement hoarding of Airtel’s mobile services. “Keep in touch”, says the hoarding.
Those who should know better, like professionals and administrators, appear to be as ignorant as the dhaaba worker. The guidelines say no cell phone tower must face another building so that emr may not enter a building directly. But, a tower on top of the Indian Medical Association building faces the Delhi Development Authority’s Vikas Minar office. And a tower in the High Court complex, atop the Lawyers Chambers, faces another building directly.
Some official movement has begun to get a handle on this problem. on April 8, the Department of Telecommunications issued an order, No. 800-15/2010, to telecom operators asking them to submit radiation audits for their towers by may 8. But, this hasn’t been done. Last heard, the telecom companies have asked for more time. Curiously, Vodafone, a leading telecom company, has put out radiation audits of its towers in
Neighbour’s rage A man calls from a building opposite a cell tower he has complained about Photo: TARUN SEHARAWAT |
According to Sandlas, India could reduce the power of transmitting towers, and hence control the levels of radiation; we could minimise radiation by taking cell towers away from populated areas; the towers could be placed at far greater heights than they are now; or we could use smaller antennae, which look like small dish antennae and don’t emit much radiation in heavily populated areas.
“It will cost additional money to erect taller structures. It will also take money to have smaller antennae because we will need more to transmit the same signals. But, this is how it is done in every foreign city I have travelled to. They have tall towers at great heights, far from human habitation. You can see such towers along the highways. Or, they have small antennae, which are barely visible, in residential areas and marketplaces. Nowhere have I seen towers in the middle of colonies or markets like in
Sandlas was also a member of a committee that provided inputs to the DoT on safe emr guidelines. It is imperative, he says, to replace current radiation audits done by companies themselves with independent agencies authorised by the government. A couple of choices he suggests are the ministry of Communications Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing, which certifies and issues licences to radio stations, or the society for Applied microwave electronic engineer ing and Research (SAMEER), a centre for electromagnetics that works out of Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.
There may be something in what Sandlas says.
It’s not that all areas in
Some of the risk is also being created by the galloping use of cell phones. In October 2008,
al houseowners for a small price. For instance, the number of cell towers in
With demand continuing to rise, telecom companies look for ways to maximise profits. One way of doing this is to mushroom cell towers, by making deals with, say, individu
bruary 2006 to over 6000 now, dealing with over 25 million cell phone users. This has consequences. readings in the TEHELKA survey at seven points were compared with readings from four years ago taken by the same company, Cogent. The findings are astounding. At some places, radiation levels have gone up more than 1000 times.
In January 2006, New Friends Colony barely registered radiation at 4.4. mW/msq. Now, the spot is registering 3500 mW/msq, almost six times the safe limit, making it an unsafe zone. There was a minimal 1.7 mW/msq outside the New Delhi Railway Station four years ago. Now, it is registering more than 4000 mW/msq, almost seven times the safe limit and has become an extreme radiation zone. Radiation levels outside Bangla Sahib Gurudwara have gone from 2.2 to 1200 mW/msq; this is now an unsafe zone.
Inhospitable Antennae flout health guidelines on the roof of Fortis hospital, Vasant Kunj Photo: VIJAY PANDEY |
Such are the levels of radiation in these areas that the instrument recording them, the High Frequency Analyser, kind of dances to a stop. Even in areas within the safe limits, the Analyser emits a buzzing sound when it records the readings. in high level zones, the buzz gets much louder. The digital display on the instrument, which gives the reading, vanishes. There is just the number ‘1’ and a dash. This shows the metre cannot display the reading because it is beyond the maximum it can record. if it were actually a reading of 1, it would have shown 001.
Congress lok Sabha member Milind Deora is an active campaigner against EMR. He says enforcement is an important factor in curbing EMR. “if the government can make restaurants free of smoking and keep drivers from using cell phones while driving, i am sure they can enforce the guidelines on cell phone towers as well,” he says.
“Cell phone towers in residential areas must be prevented. Cell phone companies must be barred from airing advertisements showing a pregnant woman holding a cell phone to her belly. instead, these companies must clearly and visibly advertise the harmful effects of EMR from cell phones and cell towers. The argument that cell phones are needed for development is no argument. Who wants development when they have brain tumour?” Deora says.
The danger is escalating also because
SO MUCH SO that the industry doesn’t even like talk of EMR. Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance did not respond to queries. And, NK Goyal, Chairman Emeritus of the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association and founder of the Communication Manufacturer’s Association of
Because of the proliferation of towers, marketplaces in
Of late, the MCD has begun to seal unauthorized cell phone towers. The MCD found 2,952 of the 5,364 towers under its jurisdiction unauthorized. But, they are largely unauthorized on commercial grounds, not for the health risk they pose. The MCD levies Rs 5 lakh and an operator may install a tower if he pays up. However, minimal stipulations on radiation are beginning to be enforced.
As for Dastur, you can’t talk to him on his cell phone anymore. He receives text messages and calls back from his landline. The ‘half paisa a second’ calls are not for him. One of




