Specific absorption rate of different phone brands and health students’ awareness, attitude, and performance towards mobile phone hazards

This study aimed to assess the specific absorption rate (SAR) due to the exposure to the radiations from different brands of cellphones, and to compare it with guideline values. The SAR is calculated using the mathematic equation based on the measured energy.

In this regard, 204 cellphones from different brands were randomly surveyed. A questionnaire composed of demographic and self-reported questions was designed to survey the students’ awareness and attitude about cellphone brands, usage duration and observed health effects. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for statistical analysis at frequencies of 900 and 1800 MHz and the differences between brands were assessed by the Kruskal-Wallis test.

According to the results, it was found that 46.7% and 8.4% of people used cellphones for less than 4 and more than 12 hours per day, respectively. According to the statistical tests, students with higher talk time, sent messages, and Internet usage, and those using wireless hands-free, had the most reported symptoms of headache, tinnitus, eye burning and eyestrain, sleep disturbances, and skin color changes.

The authors found that there was no significant difference between different brands based on the SAR values. However, Samsung and Nokia brands had the highest SAR values and ASUS brand had the lowest ones. Also, the type of game apps (online/offline) was significantly correlated with possible health effects. Therefore, regarding these cases, as well as the fact that many dangers of cellphone use are unknown, it is recommended to use cellphones cautiously.