10 Highest Radiation Cell Phones & How to Protect Yourself
Cell phones have become ubiquitous pieces of technology in our lives. About 96% of Americans now own at least one cellular device, if not multiple. And while we’re constantly reassured that these devices are physically safe and pose no risk of harm, cell phones and smartphones do give off a certain amount of radiation. In fact, when looking at the fine print of any cell phone user manual, you should find a warning telling you to keep your phone at least two inches away from your body at all times to avoid radiation exposure.
These potentially harmful radiation levels are measured in units called SARs, or the Specific Absorption Rate of the radiofrequency energy emitted by a device.
Is Cell Phone Radiation Dangerous?
Could your cell phone use be giving your body unhealthy amounts of radiation? Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2011, mobile phones were classified as Group 2B – possibly carcinogenic (not Group 2A – probably carcinogenic). That means there “could be some risk” of carcinogenicity, so additional research into the long-term, heavy use of smartphones needs to be conducted. However, with 5 billion cell phone users worldwide (260 million alone in the U.S.) answers should probably come sooner than later.
Although no conclusive evidence has been produced, some experts, like Dr. George Carlo, former chief scientist of the cell phone industry’s $28 million safety research project, believes we could be on the verge of a major health crisis. Specifically, he believes the world could be on the precipice of 500,000 brain and other cancer cases annually, because of the proliferation – and rising power – of cell phones and smartphones.
Some health ailments that experts have already theoretically attributed to high cell phone use include increased headaches, high blood pressure, earlier onset of Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Additionally, concern for men’s health regarding cell phones has made international headlines. A meta-analysis of ten past studies, led by researchers at the University of Exeter, U.K., found a small but consistent drop in sperm quality if the men had been exposed to mobile phone radiation. While researchers found no link between mobile phone radiation and an actual drop in fertility rates, the finding could contribute to understanding the global — and still unexplained — drop in sperm count.
What’s a Safe Level of Cell Phone Radiation?
For a phone to pass FCC certification and be sold in the United States, its maximum Specific Absorption Rate, or SAR rating must be less than 1.6 watts per kilogram.
The SAR levels listed below represent the highest SAR levels measured with the phone next to the ear of a dummy specifically designed with fluids inside that simulate a human head. These results come from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, (Bundesamt Für Strahlenschutz) on statista.com which conducts the most comprehensive study of cell phones based on their universal guideline or environmental friendliness standard known as the Der Blaue Engel, or Blue Angel—the SAR level they believe is safest at .60 W/kg.
Note that it’s possible for the SAR level to vary among different transmission bands (the same phone can use multiple bands during a call), and different testing bodies can obtain different results.
Top 10 Phones with Highest Radiation
1. Xiaomi Mi A1
SAR: 1.75 W/kg radiation
2. OnePlus 5T
SAR: 1.68 W/kg radiation
3. Xiaomi Mi Max 3
SAR: 1.58 W/kg radiation
4. OnePlus 6T
SAR: 1.55 W/kg radiation
5. HTC U12 life
SAR: 1.48 W/kg radiation
6. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
SAR: 1.45 W/kg radiation
7. Google Pixel 3 XL
SAR: 1.39 W/kg radiation
8. OnePlus 5
SAR: 1.39 W/kg radiation
9. Apple iPhone 7
SAR: 1.38 W/kg radiation
10. Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
SAR: 1.36 W/kg radiation
Is Android Safer Than Apple?
This is a tricky question as Android refers to the operating system used by the phone and most cell phone and smartphone manufacturers that aren’t Apple use the Android operating system. So if we were to say based on the list above, whether Apple phones are ranked less often than Android phones, the answer would be yes.
But when judging whether a cell phone has more or less radiation, that depends on the particular model of the phone, not the phone’s operating system
How Can I Check My Phone’s Radiation Level?
Referring to the German certification’s comprehensive list is likely the best place to find your cell phone’s level of radiation. The organization has studied and published SAR values for almost every cell phone you can purchase.
The FCC and FDA also share regulatory responsibilities for measuring SAR levels of consumer cell phones. More information can be found here on the FCC’s website and here on the FDA’s website.
Dangers of 5G
With the advent of 5G technology being implemented across the world, concerns have been elevated over the short millimeter wave-length frequencies that will be emitted by 5G towers. Though preventing this installation of 5G seems futile, there may be ways to mitigate its effects.
In terms of 5G cell phones, most of the newest cell phones are equipped to utilize the new technology, though they aren’t necessarily more or less radiative. For more info on the potential dangers of 5G check out this article.
Ways to Protect Yourself from Phone Radiation
Decrease Your Screen Time
Watch how much time you spend on your cell. Try to make your calls only the most necessary ones, and when you do use it, try to follow a two-minute rule of thumb. Research has shown that a short, two-minute call can alter the natural electrical activity of the brain up to one hour.
Text More Often
Text instead when you can. Obviously, don’t try this behind the wheel or any other time you need your full attention, but when a text will suffice, send one instead of dialing.
Buy a New Cell Phone
Swap out your high radiation cell for one with the least radiation or lowest SAR level. If your phone is on the list, make the switch. It’s worth paying an extra cost in order to preserve one of the most valuable things you have: your health.
Use a Headset or Speaker
Use a headset or speaker. Right now, there isn’t enough research to determine whether using a speaker or headset, rather than your phone itself, offers better protection. But one thing is known: the electromagnetic waves emitted by your phone are absorbed most often received by the temporal lobe of your brain, during normal usage (phone to your ear), and that part of your brain handles hearing, auditory processing, the formation of long-term memory, speech, and vision.
Keep at a Distance
Keep your phone away from your body and your waist during use. Again, it’s a device that emits and transmits electromagnetic waves that are absorbed by the soft tissues in your body. One study suggested that men who wear their cell phones near their waste could see their sperm count reduced by as much as one-third.
Delay Your Usage
Delay your use. If you’re using your phone without a headset, wait for your call to connect before putting it next to your ear. You can also wait until you’re able to use WiFi instead of your cellular data, as it’s less harmful.
Avoid Use in Metal Boxes
Avoid use in metal boxes. This sounds like funny advice, but using your phone in environments like an elevator or your car cuts signal strength and forces the phone to use more power to connect, which means it’s sending out even more radiation.
Avoid Weak Signal Areas
Try not to dial on a weak signal. If your cell signal is down to a few bars, consider waiting to use your phone. Again, it’s a power thing: less signal means more power is required for use.
Avoid Harmful EMFs
Shield yourself from EMFs (electromagnetic fields). You can do that by purchasing a scientifically validated EMF protection device or magnet. Doing so will strengthen your bioenergy field and immune system against the harmful effects of EMFs.
Take Your Vitamins
Support your body with proper nutrition. Think about supplementing your nutritional diet with antioxidants such as catalase, glutathione, and Coq10. You can also supplement with melatonin, Zinc, and Gingko Biloba.
About the Author
Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs No Match for Ancient Irish Soil
Researchers studying the properties of a particular soil in Ireland found it effectively treated four of the top six antibiotic-resistant superbugs scientists estimate could lead to millions of deaths in coming years — a problem the World Health Organization described as “‘one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.” And as it just so happens, the location of this soil was once home to the legendary, ancient Druids.
This “new” strain of bacteria found in the townland of Toneel North in Boho, County Fermanagh was given the name Streptomyces sp. myrophorea, though its potent medicinal properties have been known to locals for some time, and likely to those inhabiting the area as far back as 4,000 years ago.
Before discovering its profound antibiotic properties, scientists considered the soil to be an ethnopharmacological medicine, a.k.a. a folk cure – something locals swore by, but of which nothing was known by mainstream medicine. And now that its curative functions have been officially documented, the science community may start to shift its outlook toward similar folk cures.
“Our results show that folklore and traditional medicines are worth investigating in the search for new antibiotics. Scientists, historians and archaeologists can all have something to contribute to this task. It seems that part of the answer to this very modern problem might lie in the wisdom of the past,” one of the paper’s co-authors, Prof. Paul Dyson of Swansea University, said.
The antibiotic properties of the soil were found to treat bacteria including:
- Acinetobacter baumannii
- Enterococcus faecium
- Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
Locals have long used the dirt to treat toothaches and other infections by placing soil wrapped in cloth by their heads or near an infection at bedtime. The soil would be left for nine nights before returning it to where it was originally found — a seemingly superstitious remedy the average scientist might have scoffed at in the past.
Researchers involved in the study said they found documentation of the soil’s therapeutic properties dating back to 1815, though they recognized it was an area once home to the storied Druids. It was even a significant place for Neolithic people living in the area centuries prior — the same people who created the fascinating engravings on the megalithic Reyfad Stones.
The precise mechanisms behind the soil’s treatment of these superbugs is still unclear, though scientists are working quickly to find them, while also seeing what other bugs and ailments it could be effective against.
“We will now concentrate on the purification and identification of these antibiotics. We have also discovered additional antibacterial organisms from the same soil cure which may cover a broader spectrum of multi-resistant pathogens,” Dyson said.
And now that this discovery, once thought tantamount to an old wives’ remedy, has heralded a major lifesaving scientific breakthrough, maybe scientists will pay more attention to the millennia-old wisdom of eastern and alternative medicines.
Learn more about antibiotic-resistant superbugs and potential remedies in the documentary Resistance:
