Indian government is planning a law that will require all phones to display how much electro-magnetic radiation they generate. Radiation is measured in SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) and the Indian limit has been lowered to match the USA’s 1.6W/kg, whereas before it followed the European ceiling of 2W/kg. But even handsets that meet this criterion may have to declare their SAR level, and also carry a message asking people to keep their calls or short or use SMS instead — implying that the Indian government regards radiation as dangerous at any level. All the mobile handsets that will be manufactured, sold or imported from other countries in India will have to be checked for compliance of the SAR limit. The companies manufacturing handsets in India will be required to self-declare SAR value of each handset. In case of imported handsets, apart from self-declaration of SAR value, manufacturers will have to specify the SAR information in their documentation and an appropriate authority will verify them. A final list of SAR values of different mobile phones will be uploaded on the DoT and TEC websites. So far, India along with Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Australia have followed ICNIRP standards, while markets such as the United States, Canada and South Africa follow IEEE standards. The government also wants the instructions in the consumer handset booklet or user manual to contain five new safety precautions, these include: • Use a wireless, hands-free system with a low power Bluetooth emitter; • Ensure that cellphone has a low SAR; • Keep voice calls short or send text messages instead – an advice that applies especially to children, adolescents and pregnant women; • Use cellphone when signal quality is good; and finally • People with active medical implants should preferably keep mobile handsets at least 15cms away from the implant. [Source: Time of India] Authors: