Radiation that is emitted from mobile handsets and mobile towers across the country poses no harm and the level of radiation is much lower than the safety levels set by the international organizations, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
BTRC carried out a survey on the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation emitted by mobile phone towers and mobile handsets in nine districts recently where the regulator found nothing harmful to the environment either.
The survey also said that radiation in 99 places in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Khulna and Jessore is 20 times to 30 times less than international standards.
For example, radiation of 0.01453 milliwatts per square meter (MW/m²) was recorded during measurement at Khulna district administration office from August 22 to August 25.
According to the guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the International Telecommunication Union and the World Health Organization, the permissible limit for exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is 2.106 megawatts per square meter.
However, the current level of radiation is not a threat to public health or the environment, according to the report of the BTRC surveys.
According to the American Cancer Society, cell phones communicate with nearby cell towers primarily through radiofrequency waves. It is a form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and microwaves.
These are forms of non-ionizing radiation, such as FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light and heat.
This means they do not directly damage the DNA inside the cell. As a result, strong (ionizing) radiation such as X-rays, gamma rays and ultraviolet (UV) rays are thought to cause cancer.
One of the few known effects of radio waves on the human body is a very slight increase in temperature to minus 2 degrees Celsius. However, studies are underway to confirm its potential long-term effects.
During the period spanning from the final week of November 2022 to the third week of January in the current year, BTRC conducted another survey across 30 different locations within 12 specific areas of Dhaka. The outcomes of that survey unveiled that the radiation emitted by the towers owned by different mobile operators falls within the acceptable limits as determined by the telecommunications regulatory authority.
