Mobile Phones and Your Health: Get the Facts

With consumers worldwide buying and using wireless phones in record numbers, more and more users are asking: “Is my mobile phone bad for my health?”

There is no definitive answer to that question. Most studies have concluded that emissions from cell phones are not harmful and are not linked to cancer, but additional studies are underway.

While the research continues, experts say it’s prudent for consumers to use a headset to keep their wireless phones farther away from their heads and bodies.

That advice still holds, despite recent talk of mobile phone headsets increasing exposure to radio frequency emissions. As that issue heats up, we may see more testing and research on the impact of headsets, as well as separate emission ratings for those devices.

For now, the focus is on the phones.

Since 1996, the Federal Communications Commission has required that every phone model sold in the United States meet minimum guidelines regarding radio frequency emissions.

The federal measurement, known as the specific absorption rate, or SAR, calculates the quantity of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body. SAR levels are measured in watts per kilogram of human tissue. Mobile phones sold in this country must have an SAR level of 1.6 or below.

The ratings reflect the performance of the phones in the FCC’s worst-case scenario testing, which measures SAR levels with the phone operating at maximum power. During typical use, a mobile phone operates at about 25% of its peak power level, experts say.

It’s not clear that the SAR data are a foolproof way of measuring a mobile phone’s safety. Some researchers note that a person’s exposure varies widely depending on the type of antenna and the position and power of the phone, among other variables. Because of those factors and the technical nature of SAR testing, some believe that a phone with a lower SAR figure is not necessarily safer than models with higher ratings.

Under current rules, the FCC does not require phone makers to publicize their ratings. But information about cell phone models introduced in the last two years is available through an FCC Web site: https://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid.

To find a phone’s SAR rating, you’ll need to find the phone’s FCC ID number, which is usually printed on a sticker on the bottom of the unit or under the phone’s battery.

At the FCC site, fill in the “grantee code” box with the first three numbers or letters of the ID code. Put the remaining letters or numbers in the “equipment product code” box. Click search.

On the next page, click on “view grant” if your phone is relatively new (authorized by the FCC after June 1, 2000). Then look for SAR data listed toward the bottom of the page.

For slightly older phones, click on “view exhibits” instead, and then look for a link to the attached SAR report.

SAR information gradually is getting easier to find. DoMode.com Inc., which runs a wireless search engine site, began listing SAR information last July for various phones.

The industry’s largest trade group, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Assn., also issued rules this year requiring wireless phone manufacturers that seek CTIA certification to include consumer-friendly SAR information in retail packaging.

CTIA certification is a voluntary process that is separate from government-mandated testing, so it’s unclear how many phone companies will be listing SAR data for consumers.

To comply with the new CTIA requirement, phone makers must list on the outside of phone boxes: a statement that the phone complies with FCC radio frequency emission guidelines, the FCC ID code and the Web site address for the FCC’s SAR information pages.

The trade group also requires the phone’s SAR data to be included in printed material inside the phone package, either in the phone manual or on a separate information sheet.

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Times staff writer Elizabeth Douglass covers telecommunications.

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Helpful Web Sites

Get more information about the health effects of radio frequency emissions and wireless phones at these Web sites:

https://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety

https://www.domode.com

https://www.wirelessconsumers.org/healthconcerns.html

https://www.wow-com.com/consumer/health/index.cfm