New study show that using an headset reduces the exposure of the head by ten times, but beware it is not without danger. Since December 2017, the California Department of Public Health warns against prolonged use of the cell phone with a headset, whether during a call or when you listen to music or watch a movie.
A level of exposure of the head divided by ten
In a press release dated January 21, 2022, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) published a study on exposure to waves from cell phones used with a headset.
To do this, it tested two wired headsets (including an air tube headset) and four wireless headsets, all available on the French market. A protocol specific to ANFR was followed in the Agency’s laboratory in order to measure the specific absorption rate (SAR) indicators – head, limbs and trunk – induced during 2G and 3G calls and data transfer during a communication (4G), all by a cell phone.
It was the first time that ANFR carried out this type of SAR measurement of headsets. Here are its findings:
« This study shows that the use of headsets, whether wired or wireless, can very significantly reduce the level of exposure to waves compared to a phone pressed against the ear. Indeed, the level of exposure of the head is then reduced by a factor of 10 on average. The study also shows that the SAR of wireless kits is slightly higher than that of wired kits, the latter depending on the power emitted by the phone to which it is connected. »
In fact, knowing the degree of protection of the health of users seemed to us already obvious. Since its creation, Phonegate Alert, our NGO, had sent several letters to the public authorities, requesting that the SAR of headsets be measured. The release of this study by ANFR is a first step forward.
We also note with satisfaction that the air tube headset presents the best results of the SAR tests. We recommend it to users to reduce their exposure.
End of the obligation for smartphone manufacturers to provide a headset. An irresponsible decision !
French Senator Patrick Chaize
In a press release dated November 8, 2021, Phonegate Alert strongly denounced the proposed law of the LR senator, Patrick Chaize, adopted on Tuesday November 2, 2021 by Parliament.
This proposal lifted the obligation for manufacturers to provide, along with the purchase of cell phones, the means of protection aimed at reducing the exposure of users’ heads.
Worse: by reformulating this text, the members of Parliament went much further, putting an end to any form of protection of the head (thus of the brain!), a protection which was until then imperatively provided by the manufacturers at the time of the marketing of their cell phones.
Moreover, Senator Patrick Chaize denied the validity of this obligation, as reported in an interview given to the site Frandroid:
“In any case, there is nothing to indicate that the free provision of headsets protects these intensive users to a greater extent from the identified health risks.”
Without noting here that the cost of the headsets was obviously included, would this change in regulation validated by the legislator support the cell phone industry to the detriment of the health of millions of users of all ages? Our parliamentarians would be unaware that, according to Santé Publique France, between 1990 and 2018, the most serious brain cancers (glioblastomas) have been multiplied by four.
It is really a pity and a shame that the study of the National Frequency Agency has arrived so late….
Apple and Xiaomi, first manufacturers to remove headsets
iPhone Apple
However, it did not take long for the first smartphone manufacturers to remove headsets from their boxes marketed in France.
Indeed, according to Frandroid (always at the forefront of news on the subject):
« It is now a rule applied at Xiaomi (January 17) and soon at Apple (January 24) on new smartphones sold. This avoids overpackaging due to the addition of headsets that were not sold like this in other markets. It is also a way to make some additional savings… obviously. »
As much as to say that with this new report of tests carried out by ANFR, the manufacturers will have to explain themselves regarding their assumed choice of endangering the health of their customers-users.
As early as 2017, the California Department of Public Health sounded the alarm
The recommendations of the California Department of Public Health have largely gone unheeded, both by the public authorities and by industry. As a reminder, the manufacturer Apple has its headquarters in California.
Wouldn’t its decision not to attach headsets to its cell phones on sale from January 24, 2022 be in flagrant contradiction with the previous advice of the Californian agency, advice that is as follows:
“Take off the headset when you’re not on a call. Headsets release small amounts of RF energy.”
It adds:
“To watch movies or listen to playlists on your phone, download them first, then switch to air-plane mode while you watch or listen.”
According to the Californian researchers, given the concentration of waves at the level of the ears (even in small amounts), the user puts his health at risk when listening through the headset.
Although ANFR has no health competence, it should be noted that its work does not contradict the American health recommendations. Quite the contrary, in fact, since they encourage the reinfor-cement of preventive measures.
Don’t put your phone to your ear
keep your mobile phone at a safe distance
This is why we strongly recommend the use of loudspeakers whenever possible. However, it is obvious that, at work, the use of a cell phone on loudspeaker can be problematic, especially in en-vironments that do not allow phone conversations out loud.
For Dr. Marc Arazi (who raised the alarm about the Phonegate scandal):
“There is now an urgent need for the public authorities to take this health issue very seriously, and especially in the corporate world. Their responsibility as well as that of the manufacturers is enga-ged. The former will have to answer for their negligence to citizens, the latter to their customers.”
On the same subject :
https://www.phonegatealert.org/en/end-of-the-obligation-of-smartphone-manufacturers-to-provide-a-hands-freekit-an-irresponsible-decision