India has adopted the ICNIRP guideline (1998) for the safe exposure limit of Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) from mobile telephony. This recommendation states that it ignored long term biological effects such as cancer. In May 2011, WHO classified Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) from mobile telephony as possibly carcinogenic. In May 201, Council of Europe report “The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment” stated that “the EM fields from mobile telephony appear to have more or less potentially harmful, non-thermal, biological effects on plants, insects and animals, as well as the human body when exposed to levels that are below the official threshold values. One must respect the precautionary principle and revise the current threshold values; waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case in the past with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.”
The Inter Ministerial Committee of India has noted that the exposure limits are insufficiently protective of public health. The topics of reducing EMR and studies related to health effects have been included in the R&D areas of 12th plan.
While power level is important parameter, the duration of exposure is also a critical factor. Electromagnetic pollution (EMP) may defined as a function of the radiated power, number of cell phones, call density and call duration. We propose that EMP is the underlying phenomenon that needs to be controlled to protect human health, flora, fauna and the environment. Literature survey indicates that no mathematical models exist for EMP and any pioneering research in this field will be very valuable.
GMC is the first of its kind project in the world and involves research in hither-to-unexplored fields that include Modelling, Measurement, Monitoring and Minimizing EM Pollution to mitigate the undesirable effects. The research areas are multi-disciplinary and require partnerships with agencies involved in EM theory, mobile communication technology, instrumentation, medicine and public health etc Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE), Pondicherry Engineering College(PEC), University of Pondicherry (PU), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) and M/S VNL are willing to collaborate in this project. Recently, AIMS also has expressed interest.
Auroville is an autonomous organization under the department of higher education and a proposal for setting up a converged campus network is under consideration by DIT. The converged network and the annular shape with green belt make Auroville a good choice for the pilot project.
Goals of Green Mobile Communications Zone
a) Reduce EMP by 4 to 6 orders of magnitude, compared to what is otherwise obtainable.
b) Research objective/subjective models of EM pollution and means of controlling, reducing and minimizing EM pollution
c) Set up a pilot field trial to control the total EMP from mobile communications and eventually operate at levels considered to be of ‘no concern’ to the well being of humans, flora and fauna.
d) Research and implement comprehensive solutions to reduce and minimize “over-the-public-air” mobile communications. Such solutions could include alternate communication modes, call routing algorithms, educating the users s, differential pricing and socially acceptable approaches to reduce health hazards to individuals, community, flora and fauna.
e) Set up data collection and analysis methods to quantify health of the population, flora and fauna in GMC zone as a control group to help establish, or rule out, the link between mobile communication and health risks.
f) Set up transparent mechanisms to record, monitor, analyze and publish results objectively to share knowledge and wisdom to help application world-wide.
g) Use alternate energy sources to power BTS to minimize the carbon foot print.
Target Specifications
a) Provide GSM 900 coverage with basic voice and SMS services (as a minimum).
b) Target radiated power density limits[1]
OUTDOOR Radiation limits for GMC Zone in μW/m2 | ||
Phase | Limit | Remarks |
1 | 100 | In 75% of the Zone |
2 | 10 | In 75% of the Zone and less than 100 µW/ m2 in the rest |
3 | 1 | In 75% of the Zone and less than 10 µW/ m2 in the rest |
INDOOR Radiation limits for GMC Zone in μW/m2 | ||
Phase | Limit | Remarks |
1 | 10 | In 75% of the Zone |
2 | 1 | In 75% of the Zone and less than 10 µW/ m2 in the rest |
3 | 0.1 | In 75% of the Zone and less than 1 µW/ m2 in the rest |
c) In building coverage is not an objective of the outdoor infrastructure[2]. In building coverage may be provided by repeaters (or other suitable technologies).
d) Power density at 30m from the antenna shall not exceed 100 µW/ m2 in GMC zone.
e) To reduce EM pollution, call density and duration shall be maintained below To Be Decided limits using algorithms for intelligent call routing and strategies to alter usage patterns to prefer wired infrastructure.
f) Set up instrumentation to measure, record and analyse EMR and EMP[1] Current limit in India is 4.7W/m2 . It is proposed to review the limits after field experience in Phase 1 and research results from WHO and FCC study etc.
