Disadvantages or side effects of mobile tower in resident areas

Mobile phone these days are the necessity and people cannot survive without mobile phones. It's frustrating when the signals are low as one cannot talk or browse net in such case. In order to enhance the signals and to satisfy the customers companies install mobile towers . They offer some good amount of money to get it installed for the space.

But there are some side effects of the same when the mobile towers are installed in the residential areas like:

1. Mobile phone towers make air poisonous. The studies have proved that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from these towers are harmful to the people living in the 300 meter radius of the towers.

2. According to the norms, the radiation level of 600 milli watts per meter square (mw/m. sq.) is considered to be safe. But mobile phone towers emit electromagnetic rays above this limit which is harmful for us.

3. Although the telecommunication companies and service providers pay good amount of money as a rent yet they ignore the safety norms while setting up the towers on building keeping the lives of people in danger.

4. Some of the companies set up towers illegally which looks like a palm tree, street light, chimney or water tanks. These are illegal and donot follow any safety standards.

5. The electromagnetic radiation emitted by these towers have many health risks which include loss of memory , lack of concentration and digestive problems.
The electromagnetic radiations have severe effects on the people living in the vicinity of these towers. These effects can be divided into two categories, thermal and non thermal.

The thermal effects are like we heat something in the microwave which may cause fatigue, cataract and may effect our concentration power.

It's not that the people who live nearby the tower even the people who live at a distance also get effected.

The non thermal effect have I'll effects on our cell membrane permeability.

Children and pregnant women are at maximum risk as the child's skull is thinner so the radiations has severe effects as they penetrate deep in their skull. These radiations are also harmful for the birds and animals.

Due to radiation, shells of the eggs of the birds and insects get thin and these wave effects the sense of birds to navigate.

Therefore it's always advisable not to let them installed in the residential areas but people just for the greed of money risk their lives.

You did the right thing that you have got the complaint registered for this problem. In such cases, the institution concerned will take any action as soon as possible. This is quite a wrong process as there is a legal ban on such activity in residential areas.

Due to having towers in such areas, the local people may face the following problems.

1. The more antennas are mounted on the tower, the higher the radiation. The maximum radiation occurs in the 300-meter area of ??the mobile tower.
2. The largest waves emanate in the front of the antennas. The damage is also greater on the front side. In the damage caused by the mobile tower, it also matters whether the house is in front of or behind the antenna on the tower.
3. Electromagnetic waves emanating from the mobile tower cause cancer. This radiation also affects animals. This is the reason that in the area where the number of mobile towers is high, the number of birds decreases. In rural areas, bees have been eliminated for this reason.
4. Electromagnetic radiation begins to rapidly decrease the protein present in body fat and increase amino acids. Glucose and uric acid are increased in the body.
5. The radiation level of the mobile phone should not be more than about 1.6 watts but in the competition, era companies are ignoring the standard for their benefit.
6. Although mobile radiation is harmful to all, children, the elderly, and patients may suffer more from it.
7. Due to the negative effects of radiation, physical fatigue is also felt more and due to problems like headaches, people also live under stress which is very harmful to health.

Mobile towers emit electromagnetic radiation in Radio Frequency (RF) ranges and these are not harmful like the x-rays or other high frequency radiations. But if we go close to a tower then there are definitely some ill effects of these radiations on the body as these radiations can heat up the body tissues and damage them. Though it is not scientifically confirmed but there are apprehensions in the mind of people that these radiations can be carcinogenic also and there are many researches going in this subject of connection of tower radiations with occurrence of cancer in the people.

As a thumb rule one should not go near the tower antenna for long times and in general be away at least 50 m from it. In scientific terms it is said that the radiation level of RF waves at the person should not exceed 500 milli watt/square meter.

The mobile RF radiation being emitted from the towers come in the category of non-ionising radiations and as such are not harmful for the body if kept under safe limit. As the towers are operating 24/7, it is natural that these radiations will be there in the surrounding all the time. For understanding this and for comparison purpose it is to be noted that the x-rays that are used in the medical check up in hospitals belong to a different category known as ionising type and harm the body and that is why they are used for a short time and repeated x-rays are also avoided.

So, low levels of mobile tower radiations are not harmful for the people living surrounding to it when they maintain the distance from the tower antenna. From that angle the mounting of the antenna on the building tops can be a hazard to some extent for the people living in the top most storeys.

If the service provider is keeping the safe limit in the mobile tower near your place then legally it will not be possible to stop them for erecting it at that place. You have to check the safety limits and other relevant data from that company and find out whether it is in the safe zone or not.

It is never advisable to have mobile towers near our houses. There are some disadvantages. The following are the disadvantages
1. Mobile phone towers emit electromagnetic radiations which will make the air toxic. Hence, they are harmful to the people living in the 300-meter radius of the towers.
2. These towers emit radiations above the safe limit which is 600 milliwatts per meter square.
3. Some people allow the towers above their residences as they get good rent. While setting up the towers on buildings, some service providers ignore the norms and put the people in danger.
4. Some companies set up towers called "camouflage towers", These are unauthorized. These are not legally approved towers and does not follow any norms to be followed.
5. electromagnetic radiation may cause a lack of concentration and digestive disturbances.
6. These towers are like a microwave to the humans living close to them. They cause two types of effects. They are called thermal and non-thermal. They can cause fatigue, cataracts etc which are called thermal effects.
7. The people who are away from these towers may get affected. They are non-thermal. Cell membrane permeability is one such problem.
8, Children, adolescent and pregnant women are at maximum risk.
9. These radiations affect the birds, butterflies, insects and sparrows. That is why we see the density of these living organisms is decreasing. Urbanisation is one reason. Added to it these towers are increasing the loss.

We all use mobile phones and with the current trend and need, mobile phones and internet have become the basic in everybody's life. As technology changes and bring in good features so also our need increases, but we all know that with every new technology, there is some good and bad impact on human lives, the environment, etc. Due to the increase in population, technology, and usage of mobile phones and the internet, there has been an increase in the erection of mobile towers in residential colonies to provide better service to its users.

Many people are concern about the harmful effect of having mobile towers in residential areas due to the harmful radiation from mobile towers and mobile phones on human health. While many studies and debates have come up but to date, there is no scientific cause explained behind the harmful radiation from mobile towers in residential areas but it shows an increase in short-term and long-term diseases.

When we call about radiation, it is the Electromagnetic field (EMF) i.e. the flow of photons in space. These photons carry the energy and depending on the amount of energy carried by it, the type of radiation is defined. There are two types of Electromagnetic field (EMF) radiations i.e. ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.
The energy or high frequencies that can overcome the binding energy of electrons in atoms or molecules is called ionizing radiation. The frequency range of ionizing radiation is above 1THz (i.e.1000 GHz). The common types that we know are x-rays, gamma rays, cosmic rays and ultraviolet (UV) rays, etc. The non-ionizing radiation does not carry much energy to ionize atoms or molecules such as FM radio waves, microwaves, heat, visible and infrared radiations. The frequency range of non-ionizing radiation is from 1 Hz to 1THz which has fewer health effects on human beings as compared to the frequency of ionizing radiation.

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Govt. of India has adopted the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines which studies possible adverse effects on human health from exposure to non-ionizing radiation. In 2012, DoT has revised the Norms and prescribed limits/levels for antennas (Base Station Emissions) for general public exposure for Mobile Towers in India. The revised EMF Radiation Norms for Mobile Towers in India are as follows:
1. Upto 900 MHz - 0.45 watt/m2
2. 901 to 1800 MHz - 0.90 watt/m2
3. 1801 to 2100 MHz - 1.05 watt/m2

Now about the disadvantages or side effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation from mobile phone towers, mobile phones, or other sources.
1. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) have not provided any statement about the radiofrequency (RF) radiation from mobile phone towers, mobile phones, or other sources.
2. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reported that mobile tower radiations can cause brain cancer in humans and are carcinogenic. The radiations from mobile towers have the same effects as that is caused by petrol exhaust, chloroform, lead or being surrounded by DDT.
3. When a survey was conducted with people living in the vicinity of a mobile phone tower to some designed questionnaire, People in the area experience health issues of short-term and common diseases like headache, depression, sleep disorder or insomnia, nausea, fatigue, memory loss, hearing problems, joint pains, skin diseases, irritation, discomfort, memory/focus loss, and some type of physical and mental illness. Many people have reported cases of long-term diseases like asthma, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumor.
4. Many towers installed or constructed are illegal or unauthorized and do not follow the norms (the radiation level of 600 milliwatts per meter square (mw/m. sq.) is considered safe) that are set by the concerned government body. We do know that mobile towers generate a higher intensity of radiation as it works 24x7as compared to the mobile phones used by people, thus ignorantly put the lives of people at risk of cancer and other dreadful conditions in the long run. This is because the telecom companies and service providers pay high rents to the property owners, buildings/society, and institutions where it is set or installed thus ignore the norms for the safety of the people. They even install "camouflage towers" which look like a palm tree, water tank, chimney, or street light, and thus are not easily identified.
5. The effect of mobile tower radiation emit (microwaves) not only affects humans but also birds like sparrows, butterflies, and other insects. It is also said that the microwaves emitted interfere with the navigation sensors of the birds, damage bird eggs and embryos, etc. Thus there is a decline in the local birds in the area where mobile towers are installed.
6. The radiation is said to be more effective on Children, adolescents and pregnant women as children's skulls are thinner, and penetration of radiation is easier on them causing maximum risk and the pregnant woman carrying an underdeveloped child.
7. There is also a complaint that children and people staying near mobile towers (residences, schools, hospitals, etc.) area have less concentration power.
8. As 5G (Fifth generation) cellular networks are now being rolled out in many parts of the country, they can transfer data at a much faster rate as compared to previous generations (4G, 3G, 2G, etc.) and used RF wavelengths below 6 gigahertz (GHz) and some higher frequency wavelengths, at the lower end of the millimeter wave (wavelength ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) spectrum, require smaller versions of base stations (known as small cells) that can be easily mounted on streetlights, utility poles, buildings, and other structures which uses much lower power levels than the larger (macro) base stations but the antennas of these small cells being closer to people can expose people to more RF waves. It is to note that so far this issue has not been well studied.

Preventive measures:
a). Your society, apartment owners Association or Resident Welfare Association (RWA), or the panchayat should ensure that the mobile service providers have got a NOC from the owners/ occupants and residents of the surrounding area before installing a mobile phone tower.
b). Any citizen can ask for an explanation from the mobile service provider's company and a monthly report of the radiation emitted by the tower. If the radiation level is above the normal value i.e. 600 milliwatts per meter square (mw/m. sq.), one can register a complaint and approach the court of law. The High Court has banned the installation of mobile phone towers in residential areas in many cities like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Punjab, Rajasthan, and metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The state government is also framing policies for on installation of mobile phone towers in the residential areas in the city.
c). Firstly do not buy a home near to mobile phone tower or allow mobile phone companies to install mobile phone antennas on the roofs of your house, building, or schools and if you already have one, and living in the proximity of 400-500 meters, do get their houses tested for radiation at regular interval and inform the mobile service providers company if the radiation level is above the normal value.
d). Limit the use of wireless devices and take supplements and foods high in antioxidants.

For more information on the disadvantages or side effects of mobile tower in resident areas, you can read the article that is attached with the answer which was published in the 4th volume of the International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) dated 11 Nov 2017 by Shashank Vijay and Dr. Mahendra Pratap Choudhary which is titled: Study on Health Effects of Mobile Tower Radiation on Human Beings

Installations of mobile towers can impact the health of the people living adjacent to tower area due to emission of high level of electromagnetic radiation. Most of the towers were emitting radiations beyond the permissible limits.
The following are the major side effects of installing the mobile towers in the resident areas -
1) It can make the air toxic due to presence of electromagnetic radiation affecting the entire population living within 300 meter radius.
2) Electromagnetic radiation emitting from the towers can invite a lot of health disorders such as Cancer, Sleep Disturbances, Headaches, Memory Loss, Lack of concentration, Fatigue, Distortion of Vision, Digestion issues, Heart Problems etc.
3) Electromagnetic Radiation can be divided into two components thermal and non thermal one. Thermal effects give rise to Fatigue, Cataracts and reduced mental concentration and these conditions are reversible in nature unless the public shift their areas where there is no such installation.
4) It can even affect the cell membrane disorder to some of the people having low immunity.
5) It does not spare even birds, insects and sparrows. The decline of these creatures are now being felt due to the radiation effect of the tower.
6) The children are more susceptible to penetration of the radiation due to the fact that that the skull of children are thinner.

The mobile phone has become an essential gadget in our life. Nowadays, it's importance has increased manifold. As you know, our survival is difficult without it. In this technical era, people always demand good service from the mobile company. If mobile tower is installed in a residential area then there is many more chance to be a good signal. So, everything has its good and bad impact.
Installation of mobile tower in residential area is very hazardous from health point of view. Its air becomes toxic up to a 300-meter radius of the tower. It emits electromagnetic radiation which leads to cancer. There are two types of radiation occurs from it- one is ionizing radiation which are to X-rays and the other is non-ionizing radiation which is known for gadget radiation like mobile phone radiation, laptop radiation, desktop radiation, tablet radiation, smart Tv radiation etc. and other harmful radiation from mobile towers around our residential area. Ionizing radiation is known for causing cancer. While low-frequency non-ionizing radiation is also a threat to our health. It not only cause cancer but also responsible for brain tumors when the human body is exposed to it for long durations. Apart from these, there may happen many health-related disorder such as headache, cataract, sleeping disorder, loss of memory, fatigue etc. It not affect human health but animal also.