Transmission of Electromagnetic Radiations from Mobile Phones: A Critical Analysis

In recent years, the use of handheld wireless communication devices such as smart phones and tablets has been increasing enormously, thus ensuing surge in mobile data traffic which is expected to grow even more in the upcoming years. In mobile data traffic, the major drivers are audio and video processing which consume the major bandwidth hog, putting a great deal of demand on telecommunication networks. Telecom service providers are continuously meeting the demands for more bandwidth and faster broadband connections by stepping up site acquisitions to improve their infrastructure, but there is a huge public health concern looming from the threat of electromagnetic radiations (EMRs) from the mobile phones. It emits radio frequency (RF) energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues flanking to the handset and would be harmful to health. There is scope for study to evaluate prevailing radiation concern. In this paper, a critical analysis of electromagnetic radiations transmitted by the mobile phones is carried out in different scenarios such as incoming/outgoing calls (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS)), short message service (SMS), mobile data, Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Wi-Fi hotspot. It has been observed from the results that GSM technology showed high radiation levels, whereas UMTS is more or less unchanged compared to idle standby level. Further, the possible precautionary measures to minimize the harmful effects of the EMR are proposed.