Mobile radiation rules to get stricter from 1st September.

We had reported earlier that there was a growing need for the Government to tackle the mobile phone radiation problem on a war footing. Some movement has already been initiated by the Delhi government with the impending introduction of radiation tags on mobile phones. Now, as reported by The Hindu, the country is getting stricter on the whole mobile phone radiation regulation scenario. From the 1st of September, we are going to have a rigorous check on the electromagnetic radiations that are being emitted by mobile phones.

For those not in the know, mobile phone manufacturers need to comply with SAR rates during manufacturing of handsets, so that it doesn’t adversely affect human health. This hasn’t been taken on a strict note out here and hence a need to a reform to the existing rules is paramount. Currently, the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) level for mobiles is less than 1.6 watt per kg for six minutes, over a volume containing a mass of 1 gram of human tissue. The new rules are likely to be on the same lines as those adopted by the United States and the European nations. As part of the new reform, every handset that will be manufactured in or imported to the country will be monitored for its compliance to the SAR limit and no handsets will be allowed to be sold with SAR count, above that permissible limit. The Minister of State for Communications and IT, Sachin Pilot, mentioned to the newspaper that, “We cannot compromise with health issues…companies found flouting new regulations will be severely penalised. All there regulations are important to streamline the telecom sector that is growing at a fast pace.”

The report has been accepted by an inter-ministerial committee and the Department of Telecommunications will get the word out in the coming days. The telecom sector is growing at an exponential rate and these new rules will hopefully ensure that in all this progress, health issues are being taken care of. Just like the IMEI problem we had earlier, let’s hope that with the new regulations there will be a strict check on those flouting the rules.