Earlier this week the World Health Organization announced cell phones pose a risk of causing brain cancer. It turns out that the FCC has been tracking radio frequency (RF) levels in cell phones all along using what's called a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) score.
SAR scores measure how much a phone's RF is absorbed by the human body when held to the ear. The higher the score, the higher the absorption rate. (And that's bad.)
In order for a phone to be approved by the FCC, its SAR score can't be higher than 1.6 watts per kilogram.
The following is the list of the 20 phones with the highest SAR scores. Keep in mind they are all under the limit set by the FCC, so there's no need to freak out. But if you're really worried about this kind of stuff, it's good to know.
A cell phone's SAR, or its Specific Absorption Rate, is a measure of the amount of radio frequency (RF) energy absorbed by the body when using the handset. All cell phones emit RF energy and the SAR varies by handset model.
20 lowest-radiation cell phones (United States)
|1||Samsung Blue Earth||0.196|
|2||Samsung Infuse 4G||0.2|
|5||Huawei Ideos X5||0.34|
|5a||T-Mobile Sidekick 4G||0.34|
|13||Doro PhoneEasy 410||0.445|
|16||Kyocera Neo E1100||0.479|
|20||Samsung Flight SGH-A797||0.505|
20 highest-radiation cell phones (United States)
|2||Motorola Droid 2 Global||1.58|
|3||Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou)||1.56|
|4||Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro||1.55|
|4a||Kyocera Jax S1300||1.55|
|11||LG Rumor 2||1.51|
|12b||Motorola Droid 2||1.49|
|16||LG Chocolate Touch||1.47|
|16a||Motorola Atrix 4G||1.47|
|18||Kyocera Wild Card M1000||1.46|
Simple Ways To Lessen SAR
1) You could use a Bluetooth headset, but many people think Bluetooth causes cancer as well. But some headphones with a built in mic, or hook up your phone to your car via Bluetooth and leave your phone on the seat next to you. Keeping your phone in your pocket while you use a hands-free device isn't doing much for you, because it's still very close to your body while it's emitting radiation. If you're extra-paranoid, try an Air Tube wired headset, which avoids radiation that may travel up the headphone cord to your ear using conventional wired headsets.
2) Text more. Maybe it's time we listen to today's texting-obsessed teenagers. Texting emits a whole lot less radiation than a call. If you're on the go, text instead of calling. Once you get home, hook up your phone to Wi-Fi in the aforementioned ways.
4) Don't have lengthy phone conversations when you don't have much service. The fewer bars you have, the harder your phone tries to connect to cell towers, increasing radiation emissions from your cell phone.
5) Don't carry the mobile phone in your pocket. Your phone does a lot of sending/receiving when it's in your pocket, whether your phone is fetching an email, receiving a call, or otherwise. And this goes especially for men. Try carrying your phone around in a bag or backpack.
6) Use your speakerphone as much as possible. If you're going to be using your phone for a long conversation, use the speakerphone and hold the phone away from your body. Keeping your phone glued to your head as you talk is definitely bad for you.