Civic body snips mobile tower radiation probe

Barely two months after the civic body initiated a study on the suspected correlation between health hazards and exposure to radiation emitted from mobile phone towers, the study has been abruptly halted.

Barely two months after the civic body initiated a study on the suspected correlation between health hazards and exposure to radiation emitted from mobile phone towers, the study has been abruptly halted.

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However, confusion continues to prevail between the civic administration and the commissioned panel of doctors from KEM hospital on the conclusions drawn from the study so far.

“We have stopped the study on the health hazards caused by exposure to mobile phone tower radiation. We have not prepared any report as part of the study,” said Dr Sandhya Kamath, dean of KEM hospital, who was chairing the study panel.

But additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhasikar, in-charge of civic-run hospitals, said, "The study shows that if operators adhere to norms, there won't be any health hazards. So, we are not taking it forward."

Sources from the hospital claimed the study was stuck in its design stage, even before the ground work could be set in motion.

"Medical studies in general, are very exhaustive and expensive. On account of the absence of medical literature on the issue of exposure to mobile phone tower radiation, there is a lot of groundwork that needs to be undertaken," added the doctor.

Anti-radiation activists rued about the abrupt halt in the first city-centric study on the issue.

“We fear there could be vested commercial interests in not giving a conclusive report. There are several international studies on the subject. But this was the first such study undertaken at a local city-centric level,” said activist Jitendra Gupta.