Health and Mobile Phones
Published June 3, 2011 | 
Mobile Health Risk
Each GSM handset has a radio transmitter and receiver in order to operate in the wireless GSM network. That transceiver is manufactured so that when used next to the ear and when worn on the belt, it won’t exceed the limits for exposure to radio frequency energy set by the authorities. SAR (specific absorption rate) is a measurement of how much electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by body tissue whilst using a mobile phone.
The higher the SAR the more radiation is absorbed. In Europe, the European Union Council has adopted the recommendations made by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP Guidelines 1998). These recommendations set a SAR limit of 2.0 W/kg in 10g of tissue. The UK Government has endorsed this limit (following a report by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones) and the five mobile phone network operators have agreed to voluntarily adopt the ICNIRP guidelines for public exposure. All mobile phones on sale in the UK comply with this limit. In the United States, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) requires all cell phones to comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) SAR limit of 1.6 W/kg in 1g of tissue.
* Do not use your phone more than necessary and keep your calls shortHow to reduce your exposure to phone radiation?
* Send a text instead of making a call
* Try to avoid using your phone if the signal strength is low – find a better location to make a call
* Try to use the phone outdoors rather than inside, or move close to a window to make a call * Keep the phone (and particularly the aerial) as far as possible from your head
* Avoid touching the aerial while the phone is turned on, and keep the phone away from areas of the body such as eyes, testicles, breasts and internal organs * Limit usage as much as possible if pregnant
* Switch off your phone when not in use You should be aware that if the phone is receiving a very strong signal from a base station, then power output can be reduced by up to 1000 times compared with when the phone has a poor signal.
It is possible to measure how much radio waves energy your body receives from each model of mobile phone, this is called the specific absorption rate or SAR.
From 2001 there will be a European standard method of measuring SAR this information will be provided to consumers for each model of mobile phone sold in the UK from this time.
Users may wish to take out these relative SAR values into consideration when choosing a mobile phone. All models sold in the UK already meet international exposure guidelines.
How do I check the SAR rating of my mobile phone? Go to www.gsmarena.com select your handset model and go to the bottom of the page which details the features and functions of the device and under the ‘MISC’ catorory you will see the SAR rating for the US and Europe.
The limit in Europe is 2.0 W/Kg in 10g of tissue and in the US it is 1.6 W/Kg in 1g of tissue.
For more information on SAR values for please contact our customer services team on:
0800 007 6230 or Contact Us.
View online the Department of Health PDF:
