SAR & Cell Phone Radiation

Cell phone radiation is measured in SAR, which stands for Specific Absorption Rate. SAR measures the amount of radiation in units of watts per kilogram (W/kg) absorbed by a cell phone user's body including the head. Maximum SAR levels for modern cell phones have been set by governmental regulating agencies in many countries.

U. S. maximum SAR level limit: 1.6 W/kg

In the United States, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) limits SAR levels in cell phones for partial-body exposure (including the head) to up to 1.6 W/kg (watts/kilogram), averaged over a volume of 1 gram of tissue. In general, the lower the SAR, the better the chances your phone is not a potential health hazard.

Important note:
SAR only measure the average radiation your cell phone exposes you to over a period of time. In fact, whenever your cell phone seeks a signal from the cell tower, it generates a powerful spike of maximum intensity radiation.

With newer smart phones, which send and receive data constantly, these spikes can occur many times of every minute. Spikes can be up to 10 times more powerful than the FCC-permitted SAR levels, and therefore may be hazardous not only when you are speaking on the phone, but also when you are not using it.

About cell phone radiation

Cell phones allow us to communicate from any location through a network of cellular antennas. Through high frequency electromagnetic fields, information is transmitted between the mobile phone and the mobile phone's antenna. Radiation is a form of energy that your cell phone antenna emits in various directions in order to send and receive signals from the wireless network.

Cell phones emit non-ionizing radio frequency (RF) radiation in the frequency range of 700 MHz to 2.1GHz for talk and 300 MHz to 3 GHz for data transmission-similar to the 2.45 GHz electro-magnetic radiation used by microwave ovens. (However, unlike high-power microwaves of hundreds to a couple thousands of watts, cell phones normally emit under 1 watt. So their "thermal effect," in simple terms their ability to heat water (or human tissue comprised of it), remains relatively small.)

Thus, as a result of the electromagnetic energy emitted from your cell phone, your body and specifically your head, is exposed to and in fact, absorbs radiation.