Low-frequency electric fields at smartphone surface

2023 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1255

AC electric fields were measured near the touchscreen surface of an Apple iPhone 8 during charging in the 0–200 kHz range. The integrated magnitude was reported to be on the order of 500 V/m rms under certain charging conditions, and such fields were not pres…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Low-frequency electric fields at smartphone surface Voccio J, Seredinski A, Song J, Khabari A, Chuery M, Oshman H, Mujica PS. Low-frequency electric fields at smartphone surface. AIP Advances 1 November 2023; 13 (11): 115213. doi: 10.1063/5.0169965 Abstract Mobile phones, tablets, and other devices with capacitive touchscreens are ubiquitous in modern society. Consequently, the battery health of such devices along with the potential public health impacts of their typical use is of high importance. Here, we investigate the AC electric field present near the touchscreen surface during device charging. Using a Trifield TF2 meter for magnitude and a Faraday pickup coil for frequency, we study the AC electric field at the surface of an Apple iPhone 8 mobile phone in the 0–200 kHz range, well below the uplink/downlink bands used for cellular signals. We find the addition of the frequency content throughout this range and with integrated magnitude of the order of 500 V/m rms under certain phone charging conditions. Our findings suggest that the field is being generated by the lithium-ion battery. We note also that these AC electric fields are not present when the device is charged from a portable power bank. Open access paper: pubs.aip.org at-smartphone

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment

Effect directionunclear

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

AC electric field magnitude near touchscreen surface during charging
Frequency content of AC electric field (0–200 kHz)

Limitations

Only one phone model (Apple iPhone 8) is explicitly mentioned
Measurement instruments and setup details beyond meter/coil are not provided in the abstract
Charging conditions producing the reported field levels are not fully specified in the abstract
No health outcomes are assessed

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "AC electric field magnitude near touchscreen surface during charging",
    "Frequency content of AC electric field (0–200 kHz)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "AC electric fields were measured near the touchscreen surface of an Apple iPhone 8 during charging in the 0–200 kHz range. The integrated magnitude was reported to be on the order of 500 V/m rms under certain charging conditions, and such fields were not present when charging from a portable power bank.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Only one phone model (Apple iPhone 8) is explicitly mentioned",
    "Measurement instruments and setup details beyond meter/coil are not provided in the abstract",
    "Charging conditions producing the reported field levels are not fully specified in the abstract",
    "No health outcomes are assessed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smartphone",
    "mobile phone",
    "capacitive touchscreen",
    "charging",
    "AC electric field",
    "0–200 kHz",
    "Trifield TF2 meter",
    "Faraday pickup coil",
    "battery",
    "lithium-ion battery",
    "portable power bank"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "smart-meters",
      "weight": 0,
      "reason": null
    },
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0,
      "reason": null
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1063/5.0169965
PubMed: Not supplied

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