A comparison of foetal SAR in three sets of pregnant female models.
Dimbylow PJ, Nagaoka T, Xu XG. · 2009
View Original AbstractDeveloping fetuses absorb wireless radiation differently at various pregnancy stages, potentially requiring stronger safety protections than current guidelines provide.
Plain English Summary
Scientists studied how radio waves from cell phones and WiFi affect unborn babies at different pregnancy stages using computer models. They found radiation absorption varies significantly based on the baby's development stage and wave direction, helping establish safety guidelines for pregnant women.
Why This Matters
This study addresses one of the most critical gaps in EMF safety research: how wireless radiation affects developing babies in the womb. The science demonstrates that fetuses absorb radiation differently at various developmental stages, with some configurations showing concerning absorption levels that approach current safety limits. What makes this research particularly significant is that it challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to EMF safety standards. The reality is that pregnant women and their developing babies represent a uniquely vulnerable population that may need stronger protections than current guidelines provide. The study's findings across multiple research institutions using different modeling approaches strengthens the evidence that fetal EMF exposure deserves special consideration in safety standards.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 2 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 20 MHz to 3 GHz
Exposure Context
This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
This paper compares the foetal SAR in the HPA hybrid mathematical phantoms with the 26-week foetal model developed at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, and the set of 13-, 26- and 38-week boundary representation models produced at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
FDTD calculations are performed at a resolution of 2 mm for a plane wave with a vertically aligned e...
The external electric field values required to produce the ICNIRP public exposure localized restrict...
Show BibTeX
@article{pj_2009_a_comparison_of_foetal_951,
author = {Dimbylow PJ and Nagaoka T and Xu XG.},
title = {A comparison of foetal SAR in three sets of pregnant female models.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19369706/},
}Cited By (34 papers)
- Quantification Of RF-exposure of the Fetus Using Anatomical CAD-Models in Three Different Gestational StagesInfluential
E. Cabot et al. (2014) - 13 citations
- A Review of Safety Code 6 (2013): Health Canada's Safety Limits for Exposure to Radiofrequency FieldsInfluential
P. Demers et al. (2014) - 6 citations
- Exposure assessment of electromagnetic fields on children, newborns and fetuses due to RFID devicesInfluential
S. Fiocchi (2013)
- Non-ionizing radiation, Part 2: Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.
Iarc Monographs (2013) - 309 citations
- WHO research agenda for radiofrequency fields
E. van Deventer et al. (2011) - 183 citations
- Cell phone use and behavioural problems in young children
H. Divan et al. (2010) - 129 citations
- Numerical study of RF exposure and the resulting temperature rise in the foetus during a magnetic resonance procedure
J. Hand et al. (2010) - 120 citations
- Maternal cell phone use during pregnancy and child behavioral problems in five birth cohorts.
L. Birks et al. (2017) - 52 citations
- Fetal magnetic resonance imaging: exposure times and functional outcomes at preschool age
M. Bouyssi-Kobar et al. (2015) - 51 citations
- Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.org Prenatal and Postnatal Cell Phone Exposures and Headaches in Children
Madhuri Sudan et al. - 38 citations