Electromagnetic waves are scary. Anxiety, headaches, muscle and joint pain, depression, fatigue, decreased libido, even cancer or infertility … Some specialists readily accuse the magnetic fields linked to cellphones, tablets and computers to be responsible for unwanted effects in our body.
To be sure, the National Frequencies Agency (or ANFR, a State administrative body under the direction of the ministry in charge of electronic communications) tested 379 mobile phones between 2012 and 2016. Its conclusions were made public this Thursday, June 1, 2017.
Values below the thresholds tolerated by European regulations
Concretely, the ANFR experts measured the specific absorption rates (or SAR) of electronic devices. This measurement was carried out in two stages: first the “head SAR” (carried out on 177 telephones) which corresponds to a “telephone against the ear” use, then the “trunk SAR” (carried out on 227 devices) which corresponds to use “phone switched on but stored in a pocket” – in the latter case, the phone is either in direct contact with the skin, or less than 5 mm from the epidermis.
Verdict? On all the phones tested, the head SAR was less than 2 W / kg, the limit authorized by the European regulations in force: “the maximum values measured vary according to the devices between 1 W / kg and 1.8 W / kg” specify even specialists. As for the trunk SAR, there is nothing to worry about either: “the maximum values measured vary between 1.1 W / kg and 1.4 W / kg” while the regulations allow up to 2W / kg.
Conclusion: with regard to electromagnetic waves, there is no risk for mobile phones “whose certification file is after April 25, 2016”. It’s good to know !
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