India has the worst cellular tower radiation norms in the world. But from Saturday new guidelines are being implemented. Cellular towers will have to reduce the amount of radiation they emit to 1/10th of the current level. But is the new limit sufficient to reduce serious health risks, given that most countries in the world have radiation levels 1000 to 10,000 times lesser than India?
29-year-old Karmel Nair, a tarot reader in Mumbai, lives within 10 meters of cell phone towers. Her doctors have told her that radiation levels in her house are so high, that it is equivalent to living inside an x-ray machine. Karmel is seven months pregnant.
Karmel's fears are not unfounded but given the strong lobbying of the cellular giants, no study has yet been able to provide a direct link between cell phone tower radiation and health impact. But independent experts say that, within 50 meters of these towers, the amount of radiation emitted in a day, is equivalent to putting one's body in an oven for 19 minutes.
