There is no conclusive evidence to prove that radiation from mobile towers was harmful to health, the government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The Centre’s affidavit came following concerns expressed by the apex court on October 3 on radiation from mobile towers.
Among other points, the court had sought to know from the Centre whether any scientific study has been done on the effects of mobile tower radiation on human and animal health. It had asked whether the government has prescribed any radiation limit and what standard, if any, was used to compare mobile tower radiation in India with other countries.
The Centre said extensive research worldwide has already been carried out on the effects of non-ionising radiation on human health. It said the World Health Organisation has clearly stated that approximately 25,000 articles have been published over the past 30 years on this issue.
Based on recent in-depth reviews of scientific literature, the WHO concluded that current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequence from exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields.
The Centre said an inter-ministerial committee was formed in August 2010 to examine the effect of radiation from base stations and mobile phones.
In its report, the committee, after examining national and international studies, indicated that most of the laboratory studies were unable to find a direct link between exposure to radio frequency radiation and health.
