August 29, 2000
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Three Mobile-Phone Makers Agree
To Develop Radiation Risk Standard
By NICOLE HARRIS and SCOTT HENSLEY
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Wireless companies Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc., and Ericsson Inc., prompted by growing consumer concern about the potential health hazards of cellular phones, are considering ways to disburse more information about cell-phone radiation.
The companies, working with governmental bodies around the world, said Monday they are trying to devise a global standard for measuring cell-phone radiation levels -- specifically, to come up with a consistent way to measure specific absorption rates, known as SAR.
Mobile-Phone Firms, FDA to Study Effect of Phones on Health of Callers (June 9)
SAR is the process of measuring the amount of radio-frequency energy that is absorbed by human tissue. That is a source of growing concern for consumers, who are increasingly voicing worry that constant cell-phone use might actually be bad for users' health.
Labels or Inserts
Cell-phone makers said with a global standard in place they could state radiation levels directly on mobile-phone packaging. At this point, manufacturers haven't decided whether they will label packages with the actual radiation level, or insert leaflets or some facsimile inside the box. The latter would force consumers to do some digging on their own before buying a phone.
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Wireless Worries
Standard absorption rate (SAR) is becoming a key indicator of mobile phone radiation.
How is a cell phone's SAR measured?
Either through computer modeling or a 'direct method,' in which a model head is filled with a gel that has electrical properties similar to those of the human head. The cell phone is set at maximum power and the SAR measures the rate at which the model head absorbs the phone's radiofrequency while the phone is placed at different distances from the head.
Who set the standard?
The FCC adopted guidelines suggested by the Institute of Electrical Engineers and the National Council in Radiation Protection and Measurement.
Where is SAR information available?
Under new guidelines in the US, cell phone manufacturers will include the actual SAR number in a pamphlet inside the box, as well as information about the testing process. Users can also get this information on the FCC web site.
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Officials at Motorola, Schaumburg, Ill., which has been exploring cell-phone-related health issues for years, said the biggest challenge at this point is getting everybody on the same page. "When you're dealing with different countries with different regulatory climates," it can be challenging, said Norm Sandler, Motorola's director of global strategic issues.
Executives at Nokia, the world's largest cell-phone maker, agree. "Right now, we're working with governmental bodies to help develop a global SAR measurement standard which is expected to be finalized by early next year," Tapio Hedman, a spokesman for Nokia, Helsinki, Finland, said Monday. "Once that's in place, we're looking to publish SAR values globally."
But some critics say such an approach could be even more confusing to cell-phone users, who have been bombarded with conflicting information about the potential health risks of radiation. The fear is that consumers would wrongly assume that a lower SAR level automatically translates into less risk.
"The tricky part is not to just put out a number, but to explain what it means, and how the product works," said Mikael Westmark, Ericsson's spokesman for health and safety issues. Ericsson is the U.S. unit of Sweden's Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson Co.
Not How People Use Phones
Mr. Westmark likened the SAR testing process--which involves using phones at their maximum power levels--to conducting an automobile test drive uphill using the highest gear. "That's not the way people would normally drive cars, and in most cases this isn't how people would normally use their phones," he said.
Under normal circumstances, cell phones are used at about 25% of their allowable power.
Some phone makers are concerned consumers will buy phones with lower SAR numbers, without understanding the complex nuances. "It will be a shame if consumers start buying phones on irrelevant criteria," Nokia's Mr. Hedman said.
Even scientists disagree about what constitutes a safe level of radiation. "I'm not [saying] that one SAR is safer than another at this point because it's a topic of continuing research," James Lin, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois, said.
Questions on Long-Term Safety
Cell phones emit low levels of radio-frequency energy, or radiation, in the form of microwaves. Although these microwaves pack less than one-millionth the punch of other kinds of radiation, such as X-rays, some researchers have raised questions about the long-term safety of cell-phone use. Among their concerns are that prolonged use of cell phones could lead to brain tumors, genetic damage or even subtle changes in brain function.
So far, however, there are more questions than answers. Part of the problem is that there is no conclusive evidence either way. "There's definitely no smoking gun," Martin L. Meltz, a professor of radiation oncology at University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, said.
The big problem is that there are multiple ways to determine how to measure SAR. The testing process can vary greatly in different parts of the world. Moreover, various countries often use different safety guidelines. So what is considered safe in, say, Europe might not pass muster in the U.S.
In 1996, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission established a level of 1.6 watts per kilogram of human tissue as the highest amount of radio waves a device could emit when held against any part of the human body. In the U.K., the threshold is two watts per kilogram of human tissue. American engineers look at peak levels in one gram of tissue, while in Europe the standard is based on 10 grams.
Trade-Group Certification
The rate also can vary according to whether a signal is analog or digital and by the frequency on which the call is transmitted, the phone's design and even how the phone is held.
The Cellular Trade Industry Association, a U.S. trade group, on Aug. 1 began requiring domestic cell-phone makers to publish SAR levels for individual phones. Those that don't comply won't get CTIA certification. Though there aren't any penalties, practically speaking, for noncompliance, most big cell-phone makers have said they would go along.
Under the new CTIA rule, announced in July, manufacturers are required to include a new label on packaging stating the cell phone meets FCC safety levels. Manufacturers also are required to include a more-detailed description of the phone's SAR level, as well as a brief lesson on the measurement process itself.
Before the trade group's rule, consumers had to go directly to the FCC for information. The agency began making cell-phone radiation levels available on the Internet in 1998, and has recently begun refining its Web offerings.
Write to Nicole Harris at nicole.harris@wsj.com and Scott Hensley at scott.hensley@wsj.com |
