Microwave radiation from mobile phones

What is the truth?

There has been much talk about the "microwave radiation" that mobile phones emit. Most of it has been scaremongering by companies trying to cash in on "radiation shields" and the like, or by technically-illiterate journalists trying to find a consumer David v Goliath story. That doesn't mean that they are wrong, though.

This is a wide subject, and there is so much dubious information being touted as research data that people find it confusing.

To help you through the maze, the Radiation pages give you a little straight information. Yes, we believe that mobile phones are safe, or we'd not be selling them, but we want you to have the information so you can make up your own mind.

Other pages in this section

Microwave radiation tells you about the radio signals that mobile phones transmit, and puts them into the perspective of other everyday radio signals.

Is it safe to use a Mobile Phone? looks into other possible health risks associated with telephone use.

Is the base station a danger? considers what the risks are from a mobile phone transmitter at the foot of your garden, or in your children's school playground.

Risk assessment

There is no clear answer. Yes, there is possibly some small risk from using mobile phones. It is vastly lower than the risks from smoking, driving or crossing the road, and probably significantly lower than the risk from TVs and TV transmitters.

After many years of research, there is still no clear proof of any risk at all, and the many benefits outweigh the worries for most people. Hundreds of millions of people have used mobile phones all over the world, many of them for decades, and we have yet to come across a single case where harm from mobile phone use has been proved.

Statistics show that you are more likely to win a lottery jackpot, be struck by lightning, or even spontaneously combust than you are to be damaged by using a mobile phone! You are very likely to injure yourself as a result of tripping over the flex of a fixed phone. This is a frequent cause of accidents.

There is always a possibility that some new research will establish that mobile phones are a risk. This seems increasingly unlikely as time goes by, but it would be foolish to discount the possibility, however remote.

The choice is yours. Please don't stand in the sunshine whilst deciding: sunshine is known to cause cancer!

See also [ Microwave Radiation ] : [ Safe To Use? ] : [ Base station danger? ]

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