Between-country comparison of whole-body SAR from personal exposure data in urban areas.
Joseph W, Frei P, Röösli M, Vermeeren G, Bolte J, Thuróczy G, Gajšek P, Trček T, Mohler E, Juhász P, Finta V, Martens L. · 2012
View Original AbstractChildren absorb up to 65% more electromagnetic energy than adults from the same environmental sources, revealing age-related vulnerabilities not reflected in current safety standards.
Plain English Summary
Researchers measured how much radiofrequency energy people absorb from TV and radio signals in five European countries. One-year-old children absorbed nearly twice as much energy as adults from the same environmental exposures, revealing important age-related differences in electromagnetic energy absorption.
Why This Matters
This research provides crucial real-world data on how much electromagnetic energy our bodies actually absorb from the wireless infrastructure surrounding us daily. The finding that children absorb 65% more energy than adults from TV and radio signals highlights a critical gap in current safety standards, which don't adequately account for age-related differences in electromagnetic absorption. What makes this study particularly valuable is its focus on ambient environmental exposure rather than direct device use. The science demonstrates that our bodies are constantly absorbing electromagnetic energy from broadcast towers, WiFi networks, and other infrastructure, with children's smaller bodies acting like more efficient antennas for certain frequencies. While the measured levels fell below current guidelines, these guidelines were established decades ago and don't reflect the cumulative nature of constant low-level exposure or the heightened vulnerability of developing bodies.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0000034, 0.0000018, 0.08 W/kg
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Between-country comparison of whole-body SAR from personal exposure data in urban areas.
In five countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, and the Netherlands), personal radio fre...
All mean absorptions (maximal total absorption of 3.4 µW/kg for the child and 1.8 µW/kg for the adul...
Show BibTeX
@article{w_2012_betweencountry_comparison_of_wholebody_1055,
author = {Joseph W and Frei P and Röösli M and Vermeeren G and Bolte J and Thuróczy G and Gajšek P and Trček T and Mohler E and Juhász P and Finta V and Martens L.},
title = {Between-country comparison of whole-body SAR from personal exposure data in urban areas.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22674152/},
}