What’s your cellphone’s radiation level?

While the neurosurgeons revived the debate last week about the causal relationship of heavy use of cellphone with three types of brain tumors: glioma, cancer of the parotid (a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain, the technology news site CNET recently ranked the radiation emitted by virtually every brand and model of cellphone.

For a phone to pass the certification, the phone’s maximum specific absorption rate (SAR) must be less than 1.6 W/kg (watts per kilogram). In Europe, the level is capped at 2 W/kg, while Canada allows a maximum of 1.6 W/kg.  It is possible for the SAR level to vary between different transmission bands and that different testing bodies can obtain different results. Also, it’s possible for results to vary between different editions of the same phone (such as a handset that’s offered by multiple carriers).

The ten highest radiation cellphones are the following:

(Source)

While the 10 lowest radiation cellphones are as follows:

(Source)

In case you don’t see your phone  on the list, it might be in the list of  Other Manufacturers.  My iPhone was listed in that category along HTC and other brands.  Gladly its SAR is only 0.974.

In publishing the information, CNET editors note the data are not meant to imply that cellphone radiation poses a risk, nor is it meant to say that the phones are safe.  As mentioned, the debate over the health risks posed by cellphones has been revived.  Nonetheless, I think it is better to take precautions.  Personally, I experienced headaches whenever I stay too long with a cellphone conversation.  It would be good if the neurosurgeons and other experts would finally unite in a single conclusion of its causal relationship to health risks.  Especially that we are in a generation of so much dependence to the use of cellphones.

Which leads me to another question, what about the data/ issue of using earpieces and bluetooth?