Cellphone Radiation (CR) in a very hot topic multi-billion-dollar smartphone industry do not like to talk about, however, the issue is existing and now telecom regulators, operators and big public can start to use an innovation, and be aware about the level the radiation, and take some actions accordingly.

Obviously, there are growing concerns that electromagnetic radiation from one’s cellphone is absorbed by the head and body.

Exposure to such radio frequency energy has the potential to cause cancer, as indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2011.

Young, growing children, many of which are becoming addicted to social media and games have been identified as most vulnerable to the potentially damaging effects of cellphone radiation.

Thus, a Finnish startup- Cellraid, has taken up the challenge by developing unique applications to measure, monitor and also reduce exposure to cellphone radiation.

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According to health experts, cell phones emit radiofrequency energy (radio waves), a form of non-ionizing radiation, from their antennas, but now, Cellraid is saying it is only small part of the radiation you should actively worry about.

Pasi Ala-Mieto, CEO Cellraid in a chat with Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, said they are quite concerned about the high level of exposure to radiation coming from cellphones hence they developed the world’s first apps for measuring mobile phone radiation.

Quanta Monitor is a free Android app that measures the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) output, power density, and cumulative exposure to radiofrequency emissions from your phone.

Quanta Guard takes things a step further by automatically cutting off your data connection if safe SAR limits are exceeded. “We tried both apps out to see how they work and learn just how much radiation we’re exposed to on a daily basis,” he said.

Pasi Ala-Mieto states further, “Our development is good news for, not only the 5 billion cellphone users, but also telecom operators, phone manufacturers and telecom authorities, all of which have the potential to benefit from our ability to make cellphone use less risky, especially the increasing number of very young users of smartphones.”

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Researches
Recently, scientists engaged in the study of biological and health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) raised fresh alarm based on their peer-reviewed, published research.

The scientists said they have serious concerns regarding the ubiquitous and increasing exposure to EMF generated by electric and wireless devices.

According to a report by guardian.ng, these include–but are not limited to–radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitting devices, such as cellular and cordless phones and their base stations, Wi-Fi, broadcast antennas, smart meters, and baby monitors as well as electric devices and infra-structures used in the delivery of electricity that generate extremely-low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF EMF).

The scientists were joined by Professor of Radiation & Health Physics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State; and Dr.Idowu Ayisat Obe, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek found that the concerns over cell phones and other wireless devices prompted Toronto’s Department of Public Health to warn teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones.

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The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) established in 1998 the “Guidelines For Limiting Exposure To Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (up to 300 GHz)”. The WHO and numerous countries around the world accept these guidelines.

The WHO has also called for all nations to adopt the ICNIRP guidelines to encourage international harmonization of standards.

Nigerian Government’s Position
But, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has consistently refuted claims about telecoms equipment posing health hazards to the public. Though, the industry regulator has limited the discussions to telecom masts and towers, efforts to get the views of other industry player proved abortive as they were sceptical about commenting on the subject.

The Commission has severally relaxed the tension over the speculated health hazards that may arise as a result of erecting telecommunication masts near residential areas.

According to NCC, no research whatever had proved that Radio Frequency Exposure could enhance the possibility of contracting any disease.

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They maintained that masts were not hazardous, saying that such fear was no scientific backup and urged participants at the event to pay less attention to such speculation and think more on how to move the industry forward.

How Cellphone Radiation Occurs
The CEO of Cellraid explains further “There are 5B phones causing non-necessary ‘extra radiation’ which means very fast battery consumption, which again means needs to burn coil, to charge these phones again. So far there is no institution which is really monitoring the RF exposure levels.

“Now when little kids are using their smartphones 24/7, phones in their pockets, data always on, and phone 0-10mm distance from their body hours, every day..and night…the 20 years old regulations to control SAR & power density (radiation levels) are not updated to face the real use of smartphones. Old regulation still suppose that the phone is at 15mm distance from the skull and only for voice talks, even the phone is on hand, pocket or close to body, rather than on the ear.

“We have developed Quanta Pro, that is for telecom operators and regulators to make RF Exposure measurements from the user perspective, to ensure that their operations are respecting the set limits. We are monitoring both uplink (phone), downlink (base station antennas) and additionally also wifi – just like the user is experiencing the ‘radiation’.

“In addition, we have developed solution for the consumers too; As, our technology is noting when the phone is close to body, head or hand, it can monitor the SAR level on real-time, and also limit the exposure levels, when certain thresholds are exceeded”.

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How Quanta Operates
The solution, Quanta Pro, measures RF exposure level of the user in the field, streets, buildings, homes and places of work. The software runs on any Android device. It provides a low cost measurement solution for Telecom Authorities and Operators to identify high RF Exposure locations.

Quanta Pro is able to measure the combined level of radiation from the cellphone, network antennas and even Wi-Fi. At present network operators only measure radiation from network antennas (downlink). However, the main source of RF is the phone itself, which represents 99,9989% of all exposure.

“The strange thing is that telecom authorities and operators are focusing today on antennas that represent only 0,001% of the exposure”, CEO Ala-Mieto said. “I believe that soon every operator will measure the total level of RF exposure.  And a real opportunity arises, when they compete to be “the healthiest choice” for their customers.

In addition, the company has developed Quanta Monitor, which is a free app for consumers, to monitor personal RF exposure levels, in real-time.“At last the user is able to know more about their own level of exposure to radio frequencies, at home and work, Quanta Monitor gives them the ability to compare networks, and keep a history of their accumulated exposure.”

Quanta Monitor and Quanta Guard are available in the Google Play Store for Android phones.

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“We look forward co-operating with cellphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, as well as telecom operators and authorities”, said CEO Ala-Mieto respectfully and with the goal of “making all our communication life better”.