The onset of the 5G networks also arouses fears. Can the radiation, which can hardly be avoided, harm your health? In response, the Stiftung Warentest has reviewed all available studies on mobile and health and discussed in a panel of experts - including the latest research with experimental animals.
The conclusion: According to the current state of research there is hardly any cause for concern. The 5G expansion will not change that either, according to the new "test" issue.
For example, in large animal studies, researchers spent several thousand rats and mice radiating mobile phone radiation for two years every day for about nine hours. A correlation with cancer was found only in the male rats, but these lived longer than unirradiated animals in the study. In addition, the increased cancer rates were often so low that it was not clear whether they were actually due to the radiation.
"We had the studies assessed by independent toxicologists," writes Stiftung Warentest. Thus, a practically relevant health hazard of humans can not be derived from the results.
Everyday tips: mobile away from the ear, watch the reception
If you want to prevent, you can still do a lot. According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), protective measures are particularly important for children, because they have only a relatively small number of studies on possible health consequences. To these measures advise the goods tester:
Keep an eye on the reception: mobile phones adjust their transmission power to the conditions on site. The weaker the mobile network is, the more the devices have to spark. If you want to protect yourself, avoid phone calls in the case of poor reception, as occurs on the train, in cars without an external antenna or in poorly served areas.
Mobile away from the ear: The intensity of electromagnetic fields drops rapidly with distance. Just a few inches make a huge difference according to the experts. Therefore, telephoning with a headset is recommended. Another alternative to the smartphone on the head is hands-free calling.
Check SAR value before buying a mobile phone: SAR stands for Specific Absorption Rate and is the amount of energy absorbed by the sending cell phone from nearby body tissue. The valid SAR maximum is two watts per kilogram. For each mobile phone model manufacturers determine the SAR value with a standardized test. The BfS publishes a list of the test values continuously in the net.
However, the goods testers criticize that the SAR value is determined at maximum transmission power - an achievement that mobile phones hardly ever achieved in practice. Therefore, the SAR value about the actual radiation exposure in everyday life little.
