Cell Phone Testing in the U.S. and Europe: Electromagnetic Radiation: Frying More than Promised...

Electromagnetic radiation:

Frying more than promised...
by Nicolas Bérard, Journal l'Age de faire, no.144, 5 September 2019

In both the United States and Europe, a large number of mobile phones are being launched as they emit radiation that exceeds regulatory values.

The Chicago Tribune conducted the investigation. Alerted to the "Phonegate" case, this major American daily newspaper had an independent laboratory carry out SAR (specific absorption rate, depending on the waves emitted) measurements on eleven of the most popular phones on the market. Although the measurement system is not exactly the same on the other side of the Atlantic, one of the main problems is the same as in our country: regulatory measurements are made 10 or even 15 mm from the skin when, in reality, users tend to stick their mobile phones to their ears and keep them in their pockets, less than 2 mm from the body.

The purpose of the Chicago Tribune was therefore to obtain measurements that reflected the actual conditions of use. The result: half of the mobile phones tested exceed the regulatory SAR values which are supposed to protect us from health effects. And not only a little: Apple's famous iPhone (version 7 has been tested), for example, has a SAR of up to 2.81 W/kg, when the limit is set at 1.6 W/kg. But the prize goes to the Samsung brand's Galaxy S8, which peaks at 8.22 W/kg, more than 5 times the norm!

Trust the manufacturers?!

It therefore seems that in both the United States and Europe, manufacturers are playing with measurement protocols to get their products approved. In France, the National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) has modified its measurement techniques to better reflect reality. Since then, no less than 280 cell phone models have posted higher than standard SARs!

A stroke of luck for the operators (but certainly not for their customers): as they had obtained approval for 260 of them before the modification of the measurement protocols, they kept their marketing authorizations, despite their too high SARs! Seventeen, on the other hand, tested after the regulatory change, were the subject of procedures. Manufacturers have had to perform software updates to remotely reduce the SAR of their devices. Two models (the Leagoo S8 and the Allview X4 Soul Mini S) have been completely removed from the market.

In 2018, Orange took the initiative to call back one of its phones (the Hapi 30). Are we on the right track? Nothing is less certain, according to Marc Arazi, president of the association Phonegate Alert, who regrets that "ANFR has published only one test report for 2019..." If we rely only on the good will of the manufacturers to protect our health, it is not easy!

Nicolas Bérard

Original text in French:
https://refuser-compteur-linky.fr/ca-grille-plus-que-promis/