When choosing a new smartphone, we pay attention to characteristics such as screen size and type, amount of RAM, battery or charging speed. If you need a good camera, then when choosing, we focus on reviews of popular bloggers or the annual rating from DXOMARK.
In a world where everyone cares about their health and orders coffee with coconut milk, they do not remember such an important characteristic as the SAR level in the phone when purchasing it.
Harm from cell phone devices seems like something from the past, because it has no place in the modern world. However, experts from the German company Statista regularly measure the electromagnetic radiation of smartphones and, based on the results, create device ratings.
What is the SAR level in a phone?
Phones emit electromagnetic waves during operation. They use them to connect to cell towers and also transmit data and voice for calls. Impact waves in all directions and along its path are observed by various objects, including the human body.
To assess the degree of impact of waves, the SAR indicator was introduced in 1996 – specific absorption rate or specific coefficient of influence of electromagnetic energy. It shows how many clicks from the phone a person’s body is observed in one second.
Although SAR is designed for a single target, measurement methods vary from country to country:
— in Europe it is provided by 10 grams of tissue watts per kilogram;
– in the USA for 1 gram of tissue, as well as in watts per kilogram;
— In Russia we calculate watts per square centimeter.
Due to the different ratio to size and permissible dimensions – in Europe the maximum permissible value is not higher than 2 W/kg, and in the USA – 1.6 W/kg.
The SAR level is changed according to the instructions on the phone or on the manufacturer’s website.
How is SAR measured?
Each new phone model undergoes SAR level measurement – this is how the manufacturer confirms the safety of its mobile device in accordance with government rules and regulations. For example, in the field of radiation and nuclear safety measurement STUK, and in Germany the Federal Office for Radiation Protection.
When connected, the phone is placed over a solution that simulates the composition of human soft tissue. The probe measures the amount of radio frequency radiation observed by the liquid. Measurements are taken over a specified period of time at distances from 2 to 25 millimeters between the phone and the solution.
The maximum dimension size is fixed. For this signal, the cellular network is specially jammed so that the phone’s receiver and antennas operate at full power.
How to find out the SAR value of your phone
Previously, in the days of rich phone sets, in addition to chargers and additional accessories, set-top boxes also included a separate book with information about the unique independence coefficient. Later, instead of being a separate booklet, the SAR information became a line item in the user’s manual.
Radiation information can now be viewed or reviewed on the phone itself or on the manufacturer’s website. For example, on an iPhone this information is located in the following path: Settings – General – Legal – RF Exposure.
You can view information about the latest radio frequencies for different Apple devices on their website on this page.
SAR information for models from different manufacturers is provided on the website of the German Federal Radiation Protection Office.
You can also find information about SAR in the appropriate tab for the selected model on the device technical specifications website or on the website of the manufacturer of accessories to reduce exposure to radio frequency radiation from phones rfsafe.com.
SAR values are rarely reached when using a telephone.
The manufacturer specifies the SAR value for your device, which occurs at high power when it is operated. In laboratory conditions, with different cables, check that the phone does not have an acceptable response threshold. The user or owner of the phone may not take into account such power, since SAR shows the value under the most stringent conditions.
The indicator is influenced by many factors: weather conditions, distance to cellular communications, terrain, thickness and composition of the walls of the house. When there is an increase and weak telephone signal reception, the antenna power increases, which means the SAR indicator increases.
The SAR value also depends on the location of the antennas in the phone – it can be reduced by limiting them further from where they are likely to come into contact with the ear. For example, Samsung smartphones have a low SAR value because the antennas are located at the bottom.
How harmful is radiation from a phone?
Experiments on rodents in the US National Toxicology Program show that constant radio exposure creates great opportunities for brain, heart and adrenal gland projects. However, this only conceived of male rats and mice.
The research results themselves cannot be applied to people. The dose and time of radiation exposure for the rat were greater compared to what a person encounters in everyday life. In addition, their entire body was irradiated – people only irradiate the tissue next to the phone. And the power of the phone does not pose a serious danger to people.
After 20 years of using mobile devices, scientists still have not accumulated enough data to 100% guarantee or disprove the harm from them.
How to reduce SAR yourself
In the modern world, we produce a large amount of electromagnetic radiation – from cellular communications, routers, microwave ovens, TVs and other things.
Therefore, to reduce exposure to another source in the form of a telephone, there are the following recommendations:
✔️ if the network signal is weak, do not talk for a long time, but go to messages
✔️ use a wired headset or speakerphone when talking.
✔️ bring the phone to your ear only when the other person picks up the phone
✔️ when talking inside the building is closer to the window
✔️ in hotspot mode, limit your smartphone away from you
There is still some debate regarding safe levels of RF exposure from cell phones. Although the danger from a mobile phone has not been confirmed by long-term studies, there is no harm in playing it safe.
Well, the best recommendation would be to rest more often without a gadget in your hands, or at least spend less time before bed.
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
