Posted on 06-17-10 07:00 pm
San Francisco has now passed a law mandating that cell phone stores display SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) labels next to all their cell phones. To quote NYT:
Under the law, retailers will be required to post materials — in at least 11-point type — next to phones, listing their specific absorption rate, which is the amount of radio waves absorbed into the cellphone user’s body tissue.
These kinds of labels already exist on foods, cigarettes, expensive light bulbs, and other potentially hazardous items. But does this really mean that cell phones are hazardous now? According to scientists and the National Cancer Institute, there is no conclusive evidence that cell phone radio waves actually cause any harm to the body. However, the mayor, Gavin Newsom, believes this should be a "shopper's right to know".
“It’s information that’s out there if you’re willing to look hard enough. And we think that for the consumer for whom this is an area of concern, it ought to be easier to find.” said Newsom's spokeperson.
So what do these ratings really mean? According to Wikipedia, it is "the power absorbed per mass of tissue and has units of watts per kilogram" or "a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field".
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) already regulates cell phones to have "a SAR level at or below 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) taken over a volume of 1 gram of tissue."
So what cell phones have high SARs? CNET has an excellent table showing the phones in the United States with the highest and lowest SARs. The HD2, for example, has an SAR of 0.631, much lower than the FCC regulation.
But say you're not convinced, and want to protect yourself from these SARs. Most people believe the greatest risk to be when your head is in contact with your cell phone. The obvious solution would be to use a headset. However, CNET has this to say on the issue:
Note that simply using a headset won't free you from cell phone radiation. Studies have shown that radio signals tend to follow up wired headsets to the ear, and even though Bluetooth headsets emit far weaker radiation than cell phones, there's still a small amount being transmitted.
While you can never be completely safe, you can text rather than talk, avoid areas with low cell phone coverage, wear a holster rather than keep the phone in your pocket, purchase a low-SAR bluetooth headset, or use speakerphone.
But while this newly-required information may cause consumers to freak out or purchase cell phones with low SARs over the phone they really wanted, don't forget that there is still no proof that cell phones really cause harm to your body.
#sar #fcc #hd2 #radiation
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