Smartphones that can put you at radiation risk

10 April, 2012

Coming close on the heels of the statements from WHO experts that excessive cellphone usage can..

FEARS THAT excessive cellphone use may cause brain cancer are as old as the cellphones themsleves – no longer can those fears be rubbished as just rumours, as cancer experts from World Health Organisation (WHO) have stated that mobile phone users may be at an increased risk of brain cancer.

Indian phone users have another reason to believe these fears as a government panel has also highlighted health hazards due to excessive cellphone use, according to NDTV. While the WHO experts have suggested texting and hands-free devices an alternative to reduce the radiation exposure, let us take a look at the list of phones, published by CNET that can put you at maximum radiation risks.

Though the good news for the Apple and Nokia phone users is that their favourite phones don’t feature on the list but users of popular brands such as Motorola, Blackberry and Sony Ericson have got to read this bad news.

The list has been made on the basis of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) that according to Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, is a ‘way of measuring the quantity of radio frequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body’.

Motorola Bravo tops the list with highest level of radiation and has the highest SAR of 1.59. This Android-based phone spots a 3-megapixel autofocus camera and a GPS accelerometer and Bluetooth with a 3.7-inch WVGA display.

Coming in the second place is again a Motorala phone – Android-powered Motorola Droid 2 Global that sports a 5 megapixel auto focus camera but with an unfortunate SAR of 1.58. With a 3.7 inch sensitive touchscreen display, the phone is a natural choice for users but with this revelation, the equation is surely going to change tables.

The much-talked about 2011 launch of Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini pro is the third on the list with an SAR of 1.55. Besides the touchscreen display, the phones boasts of LED flash and GPS

Motorola seems to be the worst hit with its Android-based Defy taking the fourth place on the list. Besides the 5 megapixel camera and a 3.7-inch touchscreen, the phone has an expandable memory of up to 32 GB. The SAR for this Wi-Fi- enabled phone is 1.52

The candybar Motorola Grasp is another from the company with an SAR of 1.52 – with a 2.2 inch display and 1.3 megapixel camera, fitted with digital zoom the phone comes with basic multimedia features.

Since Research In Motion does much of its sales in India, radiation effects of its phones need to be studied as well. Its Blackberry Curve 9530 has an SAR of 1.50, surely bad news for its users in India. With a 5-megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash and VGA video recording, the phone wears an attractive look through its 2.44 inch display with 480x360 resolution display. Although the phone is seventh on the list but given its usage across the country, precautions need to be taken.