8,700 Studies Reviewed. 87.0% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Radio Frequency

Is there any exposure from a mobile phone in stand-by mode?

No Effects Found

Mild KH, Andersen JB, Pedersen GF. · 2012

View Original Abstract
Share:

Phones in standby mode emit negligible EMF radiation, questioning studies that blame standby phones for health effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers examined whether mobile phones in standby mode produce meaningful EMF exposure, after several studies claimed standby phones could affect sleep and reproductive health. They found that phones in standby mode only transmit briefly every 2-5 hours for location updates, functioning as passive receivers the rest of the time with essentially no microwave emissions. This means EMF exposure from phones in standby mode is negligible.

Study Details

Several studies have been using a GSM mobile phone in stand-by mode as the source for exposure, and they claimed that this caused effects on for instance sleep and testicular function

In stand-by mode the phone is only active in periodic location updates, and this occurs with a frequency set by the net operator. Typical updates occur with 2-5 h in between, and between these updates the phone is to be considered as a passive radio receiver with no microwave emission. Thus, the exposure in stand-by mode can be considered negligible.

Cite This Study
Mild KH, Andersen JB, Pedersen GF. (2012). Is there any exposure from a mobile phone in stand-by mode? Electromagn Biol Med. 31(1):52-56, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{kh_2012_is_there_any_exposure_3245,
  author = {Mild KH and Andersen JB and Pedersen GF.},
  title = {Is there any exposure from a mobile phone in stand-by mode?},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22268596/},
}
PubMed: 22268596

Cited By (12 papers)

View all 12 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Research shows phones in standby mode produce negligible EMF exposure. A 2012 study found phones only transmit briefly every 2-5 hours for location updates, functioning as passive receivers with essentially no microwave emissions the rest of the time.
Cell phones in standby mode pose no meaningful health risks from EMF exposure. The phone only actively transmits during periodic location updates every few hours, producing negligible radiation levels compared to active calling or data use.
Yes, sleeping with a phone in standby mode is safe from an EMF perspective. Research demonstrates that standby phones function as passive receivers with no microwave emissions between location updates, which occur only every 2-5 hours.
Standby mode dramatically reduces phone radiation exposure to negligible levels. Studies show phones in standby only transmit briefly for location updates every 2-5 hours, eliminating continuous EMF emissions during inactive periods between these updates.
Phones in airplane mode produce zero radiation risks since all wireless transmissions are disabled. Unlike standby mode, which allows minimal periodic location updates, airplane mode completely eliminates EMF emissions by shutting off all radio frequency functions.