Mobile tower radiation: Govt asked to obtain expert report on health risk

The High Court today directed the health ministry to obtain a report from the experts of three international organisations about public health risk from radiation emitted from mobile phone towers set up in different areas across the country.

The organisations are: World Health Organisation, International Atomic Energy Agency and International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

The court also directed the health ministry to submit a progress report before it complying with its order by April 10.

The court also ordered the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to comply with recommendations made by the expert committee formed by the health ministry in 2013.

The committee was formed for monitoring the mobile towers and formulating regulation and guideline to reduce the radiation from mobile towers.

The BTRC has also been asked to submit a progress report before the court by April 10 in this regard.

READ MORE Cell Tower Radiation: Experts for capping, monitoring

The bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Salim fixed the day (April 10) for further order on this issue.

On March 22, the health ministry submitted a report of an expert committee before the High Court that said the radiation from the mobile tower is unsafe and harmful for public health.  

The committee recommended directing BTRC to take steps to reduce the excessive radiation from the Base Transceiver Stations [mobile towers] set up by the six mobile phone operators across the country.

It recommended asking the BTRC to monitor the radiation of all cell towers on a regular basis and instructing the ministry of post and telecommunication and the BTRC to formulate a policy or guideline for controlling the radiation.

According to the WHO, excessive radiation from cell towers harms public health and the environment.