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