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No health hazards from mobile phones: Govt

While stressing on the need to review such studies, Nadda said, “There is no conclusive data available so far on this issue, however the growing body of scientific evidences indicates some bio-effects and possible adverse health effects of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR) which merit further investigations.”

Presenting the report of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the Rajya Sabha, Nadda said, “There is no proven scientific evidence yet to suggest that electromagnetic radiations emitted from mobile phone may lead to cancer, tumour, mental imbalance, dementia, headache and even it can damage DNA of a person.”

Nadda further added that even the World Health Organization (WHO) after reviewing the studies published from year 2000 to May 31, 2011 classified the radio frequency electromagnetic radiations/field emitted from wireless phone under group 2 B-carcinogen category. Due to this fact numbers of countries have developed health based precautionary guidelines for exposure of EMF from cell phone towers including India.

The health minister informed the house that ICMR is conducting a multi-disciplinary cohort study in NCR to find out adverse effects of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR), if any, emitted from cell phone on adults. Under this study specific absorption rate, power density, wave length and frequency of RFR emitted from various types of cell phones used by the enrolled subjects as well as from towers installed at various places in Delhi are measured.

Explaining about modalities of ICMR’s study, Nadda said, “The physical characteristics of RFR emitted from various cell phones will be correlated with the clinical and laboratory findings to examine whether use of cell phone is associated with reproductive dysfunctions, male infertility, neurological disorders (cognitive behaviour, sleep related disorders, depression etc.), cardiovascular disorders, otorhinolaryngology (ENT) disorders and promote cancer if any, in human volunteers.”


All flagship health care plans to continue: Nadda

Even after higher devolution of net tax receipts to the states, Health Minister JP Nadda is confident that all flagship healthcare progarmmes will continue in its right spirit. “All flagship healthcare programmes are going to continue ...adequate budgetary resources have been provided by Centre for these schemes to ensure that there is no problem in delivery of healthcare services,” Nadda said on Tuesday. Notably, the 14th Finance Commission has recommended 42 per cent devolution of the central tax revenues to the states from 32 per cent earlier.

“Since health is a state subject, state governments would now be in a much better position to provide requisite outlay from their part,” he said. The flagship healthcare programme and many health schemes of the government are centrally-sponsored schemes whose burden is met by both the Centre and the states in the ratio of 75:25 with the exception of Northeast states where it is 90:10.
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