Beware! The Threat In Your Mobile Phone

By RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR

Photo Courtesy: www.wallpapersall.com

There’s hardly anyone who does not use a mobile phone these days. Mobile phones are not just handy, they are indispensable. However, like all marvels of technology, the omnipresent mobile phone is being blatantly misused. This is what makes them more than an annoyance, what with concerns about their safety being aired -- from time to time. 

The most basic thing about the mobile, or cell, phone is it is designed to transmit radio waves in every direction possible.

This is mainly because base stations could be located in any direction corresponding to the user. The result -- a proportion of radio waves the gadget produces is directed towards the user’s body too.

Radiation

The antenna of the mobile phone radiates radio waves. This is point # 1. In addition to this, some “discharge” of radiation into the mobile phone body, or case, cannot also be ruled out.

You may have owned or used a mobile phone, in the past, where the antenna projected as an extension -- a perch on the mobile phone. Today, more and more mobile phones, slick and attractive as they are, have embedded antenna -- inside the plastic case itself.

Whatever the position of the antenna, radio waves continue to be directed towards the head of the mobile phone user. First, they “seep” into our body tissues, and get absorbed. Once absorbed, these waves “transfer” their energy to the body tissues. This could possibly have some effect on our energy levels and also on the metabolic processes in our body.

It may be said that our body can “house” additional energy absorbed in the tissues. However, in the presence of excess energy, the body would be unable to accommodate them. To offset the situation, a resultant rise in our body temperature, or thermo-regulation, takes place.

This is one reason why protection guidelines recommend restrictions on energy absorption in the tissues by the use of mobile phones. This is also why mobile phone manufacturers are asked to make certain that these effects are minimal and do not pose a threat, or health risk.

Head Effect

Studies have demonstrated the maximum temperature increase produced in our head due to absorption of energy in radio waves. The rise has been recorded to be about 0.1ºC.

Even though experts have not highlighted any real, unpleasant effects on health at this level of exposure, we do not have exact, comparable figures on large numbers of people exposed to the use of mobile phones. The compiled data are, therefore, only representative; not conclusive.

This is, indeed, reason why research related to exposure to radio frequency, from mobile phones, is now the focus of sustained attention.

SAR Hazard

Technically, the absorption of radio waves in the head is indicated by the Specific Absorption Rate [SAR] of energy. Scientists advise that SAR should be below 2 W kg-1 [watt per kg]. This figure is based on an effective average of over 10 gm of adjoining tissue, based on a 6-minute mobile phone usage time in the head.

The reading has been accepted by the mobile phone industry -- in most parts of the world. Acceptance is also gaining ground in areas where it may not have been followed, so far.

There is, for most part, no definitive consensus as regards the measure of SAR produced by a mobile phone. Results also seem to vary from one test laboratory to the other. As a matter of fact, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation [CENELEC] has published a technical standard for mobile phones. It formulates what makes SAR measurements an accepted industry standard.

Today, SAR values can be obtained from manufacturer’s websites. However, one has to also “tap” and analyse information from the manufacturers for mobile phones that do not have SAR.

Output Important

Relevant technical standards are in place to make sure that mobile phones work when used with any network. According to industry standards, peak output power of GSM phones, for example, operating at 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz, should be 2 W [watt]) and 1 W [watt], respectively.

As you may know, GSM mobile phones transmit radio signals at 217 bursts of information per second. In other words, there is one burst every 4.6 mts, or one thousandth of a second. In terms of duration, each burst has 577 µs [millionth of a second]. On an average, they broadcast for 1/8 th of the time. In terms of their average output power, it is eight times lower than their peak output power.

Researchers’ Credo

Some researchers observe there is considerable evidence to show that microwave radiation from mobile phones have biological effects. This is especially true at concentration levels far above the safety threshold values used in many countries.

What does this signify? That the brain, and other tissues, of mobile phone users may be affected by radiation.

It may, however, be said that mobile use health consequences are not precisely known to us. However, a body of scientific opinion indicates the possibility of damage to our genes and the risk of cancer caused by exposure to long-term mobile phone radiation effects.

Exposure

There seems to be many subtle variations in terms of SAR derived from technical standards in comparison to SAR actually received during a call.

As you’d probably know, SAR values mentioned for mobile phones represent what a mobile phone transmits by way of maximum possible power for a period of six minutes. Easier said than done, because, one major feature of mobile phone technology necessitates that there is no fixed output power level when a call is made.

For instance, the maximum power output from a GSM mobile phone is around 2 W peak, as already mentioned. This can, as experts say, decrease in a cycle of 15 steps to around 2 mW [microwave] during calls. In technical parlance, the power reduction factor is 1,000.

How a mobile phone operates in terms of its power levels during a call depends on the quality of the radio link to the base station. Provided the link is reasonably good, a low output power level will be used. If it is the opposite, there will be a need for a higher output level.

What Makes A Good Link

One example of a good link to a base station is open air. This is normally found at a location with a clear view of the base station antennae. The link from indoors is often quite inadequate, especially inside buildings, or where there are natural, hilly surroundings between the mobile phone and the base station.

SAR, as is obvious, depends in proportion to output power. In the presence of a good link to the base station, its output power is reduced by a factor of 1,000 from the maximum. In this given situation, SAR in the head would also be likewise reduced by 1,000.

SAR Value

How do you work out the SAR average over a period of six minutes? Here goes --

When you make a typical 3-minute call, SAR is 1 W kg-1. If you don’t use your mobile phone for the next 3-minutes, the 6-minute SAR average will be 0.5 W kg-1. This would compare favourably with the 2 W kg-1 [basic] limit, suggested by regulatory authorities.

Reducing exposure, it is, nonetheless, said does not offer any real health benefits. The onus is, therefore, on the customer buying mobile phones to seek information as to how best s/he can reduce exposure.

In addition, government and other bodies today offer information on mobile phone-SAR measurements. They also provide details on the use of approved hands-free kits, including the number and duration of calls made. Hand-sets reduce SAR effects considerably.

It must be also remembered that the value of SAR depends upon an approved compliance testing procedure. This is generally done under constant high power and at the point of sale. Hence, the measured SAR will vary -- it cannot be the same to the user as the mobile phone’s power output during normal use. For instance, a strong signal from a particular base station would require less power to communicate, and vice versa. Result: SAR is reduced in proportion to the mobile phone’s output power.

Safety 

You should bear in mind that the antenna is the lead source of radio waves that produce SAR in our body. It is best to reduce it as much as possible.

You’d try these simple, but effective safety tricks:

Things To Do