The Government should allot funds to study the health effects of prolonged exposure to mobile phones in the Indian context, according to a panel.
The committee, set up to look into electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation issues on orders of the Allahabad High Court, has recommended the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to “conclusively determine” sensitivity of EMF radiations.
The panel has also suggested that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) should continue its extensive audit of the self-certificates submitted by the telecom service providers to ensure compliance to radiation norms.
The purpose of the Government funding should be to conduct studies on possible health effects of EMF radiation on humans, living organism, flora and fauna and the environment.
According to the panel, DoT has already taken measures to create awareness among public by issuing precautionary guidelines in newspapers.
The DoT's pre-cautionary measures include holding the cell phones away from body as far as possible, using a wired headset, limiting the lengths of mobile calls, use text compared to voice as and when possible and making calls on speaker mode among others.
The panel also suggested experts from various academic and research institutions should be invited by the Government for researches, seminars and meetings with an aim to monitor the progress on EMF radiation studies.