ANFR conducted a series of measurements that made it possible to establish that exposure to electromagnetic waves was reduced by approximately 90% using wired or Bluetooth headphones.
In addition to being tiring when carried at arm’s length, your phones have an annoying habit of making waves. If it is closely controlled so as not to jeopardize your health, it is still wise to keep your mobile phone out of your head. Especially since hands-free tools can drastically reduce exposure to waves. That’s what the latest ANFR study suggests.
The National Frequency Agency conducted tests on two classes of headphones. The first is the wired array, which propagates the electromagnetic field produced at all times by the phone it is connected to and on which the SAR level (Specific Absorption Rate) on the phone depends. The second is the wireless group, which produces its own electromagnetic field when it connects in Bluetooth to the phone with which it is paired and therefore its SAR level does not depend on the radiation of the phone used. ANFR performed a total of 920 measurements on six headphones.
Divide by nine by exposure to waves
Thus the agency has been able to test different uses and types of networks, but it has not yet dealt with 5G frequency bands. This study shows that with headphones, exposure to SAR is, on average, nine times lower in the head (average head SAR of a mobile phone: 0.624 W/kg) and 12 times lower in the extremities (average limb SAR: 0.624 W/kg) Mobile Specific Absorption: 2.3 W/kg) compared to SAR values for ANFR-controlled mobile terminals.
“This study shows that using headphones, whether wired or wireless, can significantly reduce the level of exposure to waves compared to a phone affixed to your ear.”, explains ANFR. “In fact, the head exposure level is then reduced by an average of ten. The study also shows that the SAR of wireless groups is slightly higher than that of wired groups, the latter of which depends on the power emitted by the phone to which it is connected.
Finally, the agency specifies that the ANFR’s DAS Laboratory performed the measurements under a so-called “worst” exposure scenario, because the power levels of the devices tested were set to a maximum for the duration of the measurements. Thus, the better the quality of the network signal, the lower the exposure to the waves.
