How to minimise your exposure to radiation emitted by smartphones

There are simple ways to avoid exposing your body to the waves emitted by your smartphone. — AFP Relaxnews

Although limited, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by smartphones can have harmful effects on some people. These waves can cause mild headaches, for example. Fortunately, there are some simple measures users can take to minimise any potential risk.

Even if the risks are extremely limited, it is still recommended to avoid exposing your body to this radiation unnecessarily. You can do this by adopting simple measures, such as using a hands-free kit to make and receive calls.

This avoids holding your smartphone to your ear and thus directly exposing your brain to electromagnetic waves. It is better to use a wired kit rather than a Bluetooth model, which also emits very low-level radiation.

It is important to bear in mind that wave emissions are higher when the network signal is weak, and when the phone is constantly trying to pick up and hold on to the signal. In this case, it is better to avoid making calls at all, except in emergencies. This can often be the case when using transport.

And when it comes to mobility, smartphone use in the car should be avoided, firstly for safety reasons, but also because the interior of the car retains the waves. If your car has a dedicated storage compartment, it's better to leave the device there.

At any time, when you don’t need to use your smartphone, and you're not expecting an important phone call, don't hesitate to switch to airplane mode, which will cut off any attempt to connect to a cellular or WiFi network. And at night, keep your smartphone as far away from you as possible, the best option being to turn it off completely. Finally, don't rely on anti-radiation cases and patches, the effectiveness of which is unproven.

In Europe, the authorised specific absorption rate (SAR) is 2 watts per kilogram for the head and torso and 4 W/kg for the limbs. This measures the proportion of the energy carried by electromagnetic waves that is absorbed by the human body, which, beyond these limits, could be dangerous. Although most commercially available smartphones have low SAR scores, some manufacturers are still subject to fines, as was recently the case for Xiaomi. – AFP Relaxnews