Screen saver save your home from radiation

MIDDAY: MUMBAI, Hitlist - Page 6, 08 JAN 2013

IIT Bombay professor Girish Kumar has developed products that help block mobile phone tower radiation

Do your family members feel nauseated or irritated at the simplest events? Is your child unable to concentrate on his/her studies? Is your home near a mobile phone tower? May be, it’s time to get your house inspected for radiation levels and replace your cotton curtains with options that could block radiation.

Prof Girish Kumar, professor, IIT Bombay, and his team of expert researchers have created three products — shielding curtain, film and wallpaper — that blocks more than 95 per cent of the radiation coming out of mobile phone towers.

“The curtains and wall paper can effectively block 99 per cent of the radiation,” says Professor Kumar, adding, “And it is necessary for those living close to a mobile phone tower.” The professor had faced health problems in 2001 — the cause of which, he says, was continuous exposure to mobile tower radiation.

“I started my research at the IIT campus and found people living in nearby areas facing similar and some even graver problems — cases of miscarriage, infertility and cancer. I have been creating awareness about the same for the past four-five years,” he reveals.

The professor made many appeals, wrote white papers, and conducted surveys to highlight the problem, met various departments and politicos, but he could motivate the Government of India to bring down the radiation level to 450 from 4,500 milliWatt (mW) per square metre.

“This is still way above the safe level of 0.1, but I guess, something is better than nothing,” he explains. Even the Bioinitiative 2012, a global study prepared by 29 scientists from 10 countries including India, and released last week, claims the safe level to be 0.5 milliWatt per square metre. The current levels are still 900 times higher than safe levels.

The products were tested at the Antenna Lab at IIT Bombay and are marketed by Nesa Global, a company run by Prof Kumar’s daughter Neha Kumar. The company offers inspection, installation and post-installation services.

At NESA Radiation Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Dreams Mall, LBS Road, Bhandup (W). Call 21663355

Mobile tower radiation level in India 900 times higher: Study

Latest Report: Bioinitiaitve Report 2012 published by 29 independent scientists and health experts from 10 countries after going through 1,800 papers reports even stronger evidence that continuous exposure from base station-level exposure increases risk of neurological disorders, behaviour and stress related problems, miscarriages and cancer, among other things.

HINDUSTAN TIMES: MUMBAI - Page 1, 07 - JAN - 2013

India’s permissible limit for radiation levels from mobile phone towers is 900 times higher than the safe limit of 0.5 milliwatts per square metre, suggests a global report on health risks from exposure to wireless technology radiation, which was released on Sunday.

Radiation affects health: global report

Bioinitiative 2012 report is brought out by 29 independent scientists and health experts from across 10 countries, including India, Sweden, Italy, US and Russia. This is the second edition of the report, which was first published in 2007.

On September 1, India lowered its radiation emission limits for mobile phone towers to 450 milliwatts/sq m from 4,500, but as per the report, the levels are still too high. At least five new studies have detected biological effects when radiation level touches between 0.03 and 0.5 milliwatts/sq m, the report states. “Researchers report headaches, concentration and behavioural problems in children; sleep disturbances, headaches and concentration issues in adults.”

The report said most safety standards are too high to protect even healthy populations.

“The radiation may have adverse effect on fertility and reproduction,” said Professor Jitendra Behari from School of Environmental Sciences, Jawa-harlal Nehru University, Delhi, who participated in the initiative.

Radiation affects health: global report - Hindustan Times