The telecom sector is still debating the raging issue of radiation from mobile phones and there seems to be no solution in sight. Notwithstanding this, a number of companies are offering products that they claim can safeguard people from the harmful effects of radiation, or at least minimise them.

For instance, Syenergy Environics offers products that reduce the harmful effects of radiation. But its Executive Director, Pranav Poddar is quick to hedge: “Ours is not a radiation protection chip. It’s not an anti-radiation product because radiation can neither be stopped nor reduced.”

In 2011, the New Delhi-based company launched a chip – Enviro Chip – for handsets and computers (that can be pasted like a sticker) and has already sold 90,000 chips. Later in 2013, it developed a strip – Enviro Strip – for telecom towers and sold more than 70 of them.

“These devices emit constant waves and our products convert these constant waves into random waves, which are safe for humans,” Poddar added.

Set up in November 2011, Nesa Radiation Solutions is another company that offers radiation-shielding solutions. The Mumbai-based company sells window films, window curtains and wallpapers, which it claims reduces radiation.

“They partly absorb and partly deflect radiation. We have proven that our products reduce the effects of radiation,” its founder Neha Kumar said.

According to industry sources, there are at least half-a-dozen companies offering these kinds of products and many of them are not certified by any of the Government agencies.

“In India, neither Government laboratories nor authenticated testing centres have validated these claims. Radiation shields, which were available for computers 20 years back, are now being rolled out for mobile devices. Hence, nobody is taking these claims seriously,” said a spokesperson of Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), the GSM operators’ body.

“There are devices to measure the radiation levels, before installation and after installation of the protective shields. The protection these films and shields offer can be easily proven,” said Girish Kumar, a professor at IIT-Bombay, who is also on the board of the Department of Telecommunications committee set up to look into electromagnetic field (EMF) radiations.

Activists say radiation levels in India are five times higher than those in countries such as Bulgaria and Italy, while telecom operators are of the opinion that they are within the prescribed limits.

How effective are these films? While many in the industry are sceptical, the companies claim to have brought in results.

Syenergy Environics’ Poddar claims that the company’s products completely “neutralise” the harmful effects of radiation.

“In my observation, certain window films and metal plates help in deflecting the frequency of radio waves,” Anuj Jain, a freelance telecom consultant, said, adding that the reduction would depend on the quality of the films as there are many types available in the market.

According to an industry expert, there are meters to measure these frequencies and the reduction after installation of films. However, a metal mesh is best suited to minimise radiation, he added.

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