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I recently visited a nice couple that lives on the tranquil outskirts of an average city. These friendly people are always laid-back and so they were this evening until it got my cell phone out and put it on the table. "Would you please put your cell phone away or turn it off? It's so close to the crib." As a well-mannered guest with a liking for worried parents, I naturally switched it off. But did I really endanger their child? I had to look into the matter!
Cell phones emit radiation - but what are the consequences?
The bane of modern technology
New technology is often subject to general suspicion of causing serious harm to human beings. A few decades ago, people were seriously worried that velocities above 20 mph would cause their organs to get entangled or move, leading to a wailful death. And I have to admit, I do get an unpleasant feeling whenever someone is driving in front of me with a top speed of 20 mph but that is my problem. Discoveries such as X-rays, radioactivity or heroin on the other hand were happily used until their devastating effects were noticed. Now, when a cell phone comes along that is placed next to your head while sending and receiving radio signals, people are skeptical and rightfully so.
It's getting hot - or maybe not
Let's look at what is going on near our ears. Cell phones send and receive electromagnetic waves, high-frequency, non-ionizing (not altering atoms) radiation. This puts them in a category with microwave ovens which is a hint at possible issues since this type of radiation is powerful enough to heat up our body or parts of it. It's not what's causing your ears to get hot during a lengthy conversation though (that is caused by heat buildup), but it's enough to cause a measurable effect on the temperature in the area around the device. Since this effect is small and cell phone radiation is strictly regulated, it is mainly considered harmless.
Does science have the answer?
Cancer or no cancer, the question remains
Concerns that cell phones could potentially lead to cancer are more problematic than their heat emissions. Available studies are contradictory, you could pore over them for hours and not be any wiser. Some find nothing, others mention a minor effect on brain and heart tumors or potentially decreased fertility when cell phones are kept in your pants pocket. I know some headlines let alone dramatic Facebook posts tell a different story, I prefer to stay calm and look closer at the available studies. On average, there seems to be a consensus that there is a small carcinogenic effect, if anything. Alas, long-term studies are still few and far between!
When and how do radiation levels change?
The level of radiation varies depending on the strength of the connection between your cell phone and the nearest radio mast. If the signal strength goes down, radiation levels will increase. Note: The energy exposure will significantly decrease the further a cell phone is held away from an object, e.g. your head. If you press it directly against your skull, the level of exposure will be highest but if you use a speaker phone and place it further away from you, exposure will be minimal. This is why a few inches of distance can limit the effect of radiation to a very small percentage of its original output. Take the countryside, there are fewer radio masts yet the degree of radiation exposure is higher due to poor signal strength (since cell phones have to "work" harder exposing your body to more radiation). This is why radiation protection foils (yes they exist) are a bad idea since they will force your cell phone to "work" even harder (assuming they have any effect to begin with) and put out more radiation.
I want to protect myself but how?
As described before, the key lies in signal quality and adequate distance. You may try to make calls only in areas with good reception and restrict your calls to emergencies otherwise. While you're in your car, you may use a speaker phone, if available, and carry your cell phone in a separate bag rather than your pants pocket. Headsets may also be helpful. And even if you're using your cell phone as an alarm clock - you don't have to place it right next to your head. If you'd like to take it one step further - the specific absorption rate(SAR) that describes the rate at which energy is absorbed by the human body when exposed to a radio frequency electromagnetic field is listed online for many devices so you might want to select a device with a very low SAR value.
Conclusion
There is an ongoing debate about whether the use of cell phones involves any notable risks at all. Unobjective discussions on Internet forums and sensationalism by the media creates more fear than reliable facts. Based on what we know so far, there's no need for hysteria. Yet I can't help but wonder why this daily companion for billions of people hasn't been put through more research. A friend of mine who happens to be an oncologist said the following: "You'll rather die without a cell phone since you won't be able to get help during an emergency than be killed by its radiation."
Author's side note: Have you heard of The Incredible Hulk? One of my colleagues is turning into one right in my office. A graduate engineer, he's got wind of this blog article and now rampages through my office (not in green but still worth seeing) murmuring something about cosmic background radiation being a lot stronger, tinfoil hats and how "they" don't have a clue. It seems we all have a sore spot.
Years ago when televisions were first introduced to Australia, there was great concern that they would cause "square eyes" if you got too close to them, keeping at least 5 metres away from the screen was recommended by those who expressed concern. Quite a challenge for the eyes when the average television had a 17 inch (43cm) screen
My grandma told me that, too! :)
Interesting thoughts and comments Sven, As I sit at my desk I see within one metre of me, 2 computer screens, cellphone, cordless phone and charger, speakers, LED clock, fluorescent lamp, a laptop, desktop and printer with wireless adapters built in, plus half a dozen power packs for sundry equipment.
I have survived like this more or less for the past 30 years (since I bought my first computer, a Commodore 64). Will I be able to keep going for another 30 and hit the 100 mark? Probably not, but if I can manage another fifteen then I will have outlived all of my ancestors according to my genealogy researching brother.
Most cell phones on sale today come with a pair of audio buds at the end of a cable which can be connected to your phone. The line has an integrated microphone, so, if one's is wary of the radiation near the brain, one can use that cable to listen and speak while using the mobile. I scrolled down the comments, and no one seemed to have noticed that accessory. So, problem solved, in part.
If you want to build a device that transmits electromagnetic radiation you will need a licence to do this. Taxi and busses and many businesses do this and most of the frequency bands are heavily used. There is one left that is not so popular because that band is affected by atmospheric moisture. On rainy days signal attenuation drops to a few 100m instead of kilometers. Noone wants to use and pay for that frequency range. I am getting worried because I am using that very frequency for free, albeit at very low power levels. Worse my brain seems to be more water than solid matter and I am so dumb that I put this device over both ears for hours at a time.
I am not worried at all about the wireless or mobile frequency but the one nobody wants called bluetooth. My cable headphones broke. Who knows maybe I will get liver cancer more likely from alchohol, because the liver is quite a distance from my ears...Some quantitative EM radiation absorption tests should be made by someone. THE Body is around 70% water.
I have a fitness tracker which I have to wear on my wrist to track my sleep. It tracks my body's movements and tells me how many steps I've walked and calories burnt during the day, and the time I've been sleeping during the night. In the morning I can open the app in my phone to see how many hours I've slept and how much time I spent in 'deep sleep'. The tracker uses Bluetooth to transmit data to my phone. Bluetooth is also using radio signals, I guess? Do you recommend I get rid of the fitness tracker?
I’m assuming your fitness band is connected via bluetooth? These are low-wattage transmitters so there’s really no need for concern.
In 1948 I was a radio operator in the Army and one day a man put his hand on the aerial output while I was transmitting.
Although there was no heat in the aerial it burned his hand. I saw him again months later and his hand had not yet healed.
I think the safest way is to use a mobile is to use an extension earpiece.
Electronics translate
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Well, the issues generated by EME are more complex than thought up to now. The burning and cancer consequences are only one side of the problem. Main issues revealed in recent studies are related to human body cells processes inhibition and immunitary system inhibition as well, leading to other looking term side effects. These consequences are applicable to all radio systems including WI-FI, DECT, and mobile networks. It is important to keep out children from exposures till they reach a teenager age. In Switzerland for instance all WI FI have been stopped in the schools due to tradition concerns.
I'm afraid even your article (limited, I know, by editorial space issues) is skewed by inadequate background knowledge, and some comments reflect ignorance of basic science. So many people see the word 'radiation' and experience fear. We are surrounded by 'radiation' - much from nature. Light is radiation. A comment shows fear at infra-red heating. Radiant heat is in the infra-red spectrum, so ANY radiant heater is giving infra-red, as do the sun's rays (along with UV etc as well). Infra-red radiation is just beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum - say around 800+ nm. - just out of reach by your eyes.
For you to say that microwave radiation as used in a microwave oven is a radiant energy type powerful enough to be damaging is to confuse terminology. The higher the frequency of a radiant energy form, the greater is its potential to be damaging, but this depends on the power, as in, say, Watts, and the length of exposure. So you can have 'low-power' microwaves - essentially harmless, or comparatively 'high-power' microwaves - potentially harmful. Micro-waves are well separated from infra-red, with wavelengths in the range of 0.001-0.3 m.
To explain all of this correctly, and place it within an INFORMED discussion of mobile phones etc would take much more space and time than I have available. It is a shame that in this technological age there is such ignorance of basic science, and so much thinking is guided by prejudicial ignorance.
Naturally, I am not holding a seminar on physics as that would be out of my league. :) Please bear with me should I (over)simplify matters to render them more comprehensible to *all* of our readers. This is not supposed to be an elitist club and I am no physicist, electrical engineer or anything else along these lines. At the core, the explanations and effects described here have to be correct. I am aware that a more comprehensive look at the matter is out of the question for a blog post.
We live in a rich sea of electromagnetic fields reaching from DC through microwaves to light frequencies. The only thing you're likely to suffer from these is a burn if there's enough radiated power. Mobile phones, wifi routers, garage door remotes, switch-mode power adaptors, and microwave ovens, etc. do not have anywhere near enough radiated power to burn you. In any case this is non-ionising radiation.
Beyond visible light frequencies we move into the realm of ultra-violet, X-Rays, Cosmic radiation, etc. and radioactive particles. All of those are emitting ionising radiation which definitely can cause genetic damage to living organisms.
The real problem here is that we are superstitious beings afraid of what we can't see or understand.
Laying for a few hours daily on a Queensland beach in midsummer with a temperature of 32 deg.C using a cell-'phone is dangerous, the 'phone becomes very hot and can be damaged..... o')--<
Thousands of the young generation would say, "It's cool." .... :~)
I am hard of hearing I have to wear two hearing aids I also use headphones to watch TV as my wife cannot stand the level of noise. So what would such as I do without them ... The price of just about all kinds of progress is to expect to have to compromise....and make the best of it as changing conditions demand...
Hi Steve,
This puts a better light on things but in saying that have the worried people thought about the radiation that could becoming out of all the mobile and stationary radar cameras that the police use around the world.
One large joke...
Your friends were right. Why take a chance with a baby?
I have trouble with both mobiles and home phones. It feels like someone is shouting in my ear even when there is no sound at all. I find I need to change from ear to ear constantly to stop them hurting!
It might be I have extraordinary sensitive ears as i get the same effect of taking off in a plane when going up or down an escalator!
Any thoughts?
It's more years than I care to think about since I was a practising electronics engineer, But a couple of things come to mind regarding 50Hz radiation from 'lossy' conventional transformers and power supplies:
1. Try to never to live or work near a mains substation - particularly a large one.
2. Try to never live under an overhead power cable - particularly 132 KV and 'super grids'.
As far as sleeping near a switched-on mobile phone is concerned; switch it off at night and use an Open Reach landline!
Until now I was not very worried about mobile phone radiation but when I noticed that radio connections up from 2G to 3G , to 4G at 5G ( all for just a few extra seconds ) I'm getting a little worried, but what really worries me is the appearance on the market of infrared radiant panels . That's like you live in the microwave cooker. That's horror !
For me, a WLAN access point, 'Wi-Fi', falls into the same category as a powered up on-line portable device (including an internet radio). I keep such things at least an arm's length away from my head while I am sleeping.
The 'wall wart' psu units don't trust are the old generation models with a transformer and often a linear regulator. I think clock radios with LED displays (and a similar built-in power supply) usually positioned right by the pillow are also to be avoided.
For a long while a friend and I had big Sony all wave radios by our beds. The linear PSU was in the lead and under the bed, directly below our heads when we slept.
He was involved with medical research into the effects of 50Hz magnetic fields and discovered by accident that these small PSU transformers have remarkably high leakage fields. As a result we both moved our PSUs away from the bed.
When we compared notes, a few weeks later, neither of us was absolutely sure that there were benefits but we both felt that we were sleeping better.
I have not had a migraine since and I am now convinced that even 50Hz fields should be avoided.
The critical aspect is the lack of movement whilst asleep.
Thank you for your feedback!
In health matters, it seems everything in moderation is fine - it is when we go to excess that the trouble starts.
Wise words, I think.
Thank you Sven for such a well balanced set of observations... right 'on the ball' as we have come to expect.
I would like to add some of my own...
As the result of personal experience and a few tests (I am a radio amateur and have some understanding of the factors involved) I will not sleep with any wireless device that transmits (phone, tablet internet radio etc.) or any 'wall wart' or similar psu/charger within reach. Since I adopted this policy I have slept better, not been woken up by excruciating cramp or suffered anything like a migraine. All these troubles would bother me from time to time. No pattern.
The distance policy is easy to implement and it is well worth trying if you have any of these issues. Even very small amounts of radiation can have an effect over a long period of time and standing waves can set up 'hot spots'. In sleep the head a brain hardly moves. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by distancing yourself from any form of radiation.
Sounds interesting! What about WLAN?