Mobile phone radiation shields a waste of money says ARPANSA

Mobile phone radiation shields a waste of money says ARPANSA

Tests have shown mobile phone cases that claim to shield users from electromagnetic radiation could actually cause phones to transmit more power, reduce battery life, interfere with reception and limit coverage, Australian’s radiation watchdog has warned.

 

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) said there was no evidence to support the claimed safety benefits of the so-called “shielding” devices which “are attached to the handset and take the form of shielded cases, earpiece pads/shields, antenna clips/caps and absorbing buttons.”

 

In their new consumer fact sheet, “How to reduce exposure from mobile phones and other wireless devices”, ARPANSA said the devices could make a handset work at higher power because they interfered with the mobile phone technology known as automatic power control, which automatically reduces the phones power to the lowest level to maintain a quality call.

 

“ARPANSA does not recommend the use of any protective devices other than approved hands-free accessories that let you keep the phone away from the head during use,” the fact sheet updated last month said.

 

“Tests have shown that many of these devices can reduce your exposure when the phone is set to transmit at maximum power. However, because phones have automatic power control, these shields make the phone work harder, transmitting more power, increasing heat and reducing battery life.”

 

“The incoming signal to the phone will also be reduced so the phone may not work in poor signal areas.”

 

ARPANSA also warned consumers that the slew of ‘neutralising’ products often sold in the form of pendants, necklaces or stickers to be placed on the back of phones, also have no proven health benefits.

 

“Some products that attach to the phone are advertised as neutralising any harmful effects. Their claims are not consistent with current scientific knowledge and it is difficult if not impossible, to verify any benefits,” the fact sheet said.

 

“Although sellers of some devices have reported biological tests to support their health claims, there is no reliable evidence that such devices provide any health benefits other than by perhaps reducing people’s anxiety or by a placebo effect.”

 

Earlier this year the popular German technology magazine Connect conducted lab tests on two popular brands of shielding covers, Pong and Evestar – which claim to redirect signals using additional antennas - and found the devices increased radiation exposure to the head, interfered with reception and coverage and provided no safety protection for users.

 

“Conclusion: As an aid to radiation, we cannot recommend these products - on the contrary, they increase the cell phone radiation unnecessarily,” Connect said (German translation).

 

In two separate cases, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has taken action against Melbourne firms, Phoneflasher.com and Purple Harmony Plates International, after they falsely claimed their products reduced radiation exposure.

 

Also, in 2002, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged two companies with making false and unsubstantiated claims for selling devices claiming to protect mobile phone users from radiation.

 

While the evidence suggests that the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy (EME) emissions of mobile phone handsets are not harmful, ARPANSA said if mobile users were concerned there are some simple and more effective ways to reduce their exposure than by using shielding devices.

 

“The most effective way to reduce the exposure is to increase the distance between your mobile phone and your head or body,” the fact sheet said.

 

ARPANSA said you can do this by:

• Using a wired ear-piece/microphone hands-free accessory
• Using the phone on speaker mode
• Texting rather than talking
• Keeping the phone a distance from the body, as recommended in your phone’s user manual
• Even placing your thumb between the phone and your ear.

http://www.amta.org.au/newsletters/EME.Update.August.2013?Article=40129