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Exposure Limits: The underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children

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Authors not listed · 2011

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Current cell phone safety testing uses an oversized adult head model, causing children to absorb twice the radiation levels considered 'safe.'

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 2011 analysis reveals that current cell phone safety testing uses an outdated plastic head model (SAM) based on large adult military recruits from 1989, which dramatically underestimates radiation absorption in children and smaller adults. Children's heads can absorb over twice as much radiation as the testing model suggests, with bone marrow absorption up to ten times higher than adults.

Why This Matters

This study exposes a fundamental flaw in how we test cell phone safety that has persisted for over a decade. The reality is that our current certification process uses a one-size-fits-all approach based on the largest 10% of military recruits from 1989, completely ignoring the biological reality that smaller heads absorb more radiation. When a 10-year-old uses a phone certified as 'safe' using the SAM model, they're actually receiving up to 153% more radiation than the testing predicted. The science demonstrates that children's developing tissues are particularly vulnerable, yet our safety standards fail to account for this basic physics principle. What makes this even more concerning is that the FCC has already approved superior computer simulation methods that could address these problems, but the industry continues using the outdated plastic head model.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
Unknown (2011). Exposure Limits: The underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children.
Show BibTeX
@article{exposure_limits_the_underestimation_of_absorbed_cell_phone_radiation_especially_in_children_ce713,
  author = {Unknown},
  title = {Exposure Limits: The underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.3109/15368378.2011.622827},
  
}
DOI: 10.3109/15368378.2011.622827PubMed: 21999884

Quick Questions About This Study

SAM (Specific Anthropomorphic Mannequin) is a plastic head model representing the top 10% largest U.S. military recruits from 1989. It's filled with fluid mimicking average head electrical properties but doesn't account for different tissue types or smaller head sizes.
A 10-year-old's head absorbs up to 153% more radiation than the SAM model predicts. When considering electrical properties of children's tissues, absorption can be over twice as high, with bone marrow absorbing ten times more radiation than adults.
SAM uses average electrical properties that can't show how different brain tissues absorb radiation differently. Smaller heads concentrate more radiation in less tissue volume, and children's tissues have different electrical properties that increase absorption rates significantly.
Yes, the FCC has approved superior computer simulation certification processes that could account for different head sizes and tissue properties. However, these improved methods are not currently employed to certify cell phones for public use.
In the US, the FCC determines maximum allowed exposures. Many other countries, especially European Union members, follow guidelines from ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection), which is a non-governmental agency rather than an official regulatory body.