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Brain EM Exposure for Voice Calls of Mobile Phones in Wireless Communication Environment of Seoul, Korea

2020 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1317

Measured mean Tx power was <0.5% of maximum for CDMA2000 and WCDMA. For LTE, mean Tx power varied widely by operator (two operators <0.1% of maximum; one operator 0.8%–20% across three bands). Calculated maximum 1-g peak spatial-average SAR at mean Tx power i…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020
Study typeexposure_assessment
Reported directionUnclear
Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Brain EM Exposure for Voice Calls of Mobile Phones in Wireless Communication Environment of Seoul, Korea Ae-Kyoung Lee ; Hyung-Do Choi. Brain EM Exposure for Voice Calls of Mobile Phones in Wireless Communication Environment of Seoul, Korea. IEEE Access. DOI:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3020831.01 September 2020. Abstract The aim of this paper is to present the measurement results of the transmitted (Tx) power levels of mobile phones in currently operating wireless communication networks in Seoul in 2015 and 2017 and the calculation results of the specific absorption rate (SAR) in the brain for voice calls while holding a mobile phone against the user's ear when operating at the measured mean power level. The Tx power levels of mobile phones using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, Wide CDMA (WCDMA), and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks were compared for the three main mobile network operators in South Korea. The actual mean Tx power level was less than 0.5% of the maximum power for the CDMA2000 and WCDMA networks. In the LTE networks, however, an extremely wide gap in Tx power was observed between the operators; two of the operators showed a mean power of less than 0.1% of the maximum, whereas the other showed mean powers of the three bands within the range of 0.8%-20% of the maximum power. The measurement results suggest that the SAR in the user's brain is strongly dependent on the year the phone was used, the user-subscribed mobile operator, and the proportion of time connected to the network/technology. The maximum 1-g peak spatial-average SAR (psSAR) level at the mean Tx power in an LTE network was 4.8 mW/kg (for a child head model). A maximum gap of 25 dB in the psSAR was observed between all networks considered. Open access paper: ieeexplore.ieee.org

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
ExposureNot supplied
Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Measured mean Tx power was <0.5% of maximum for CDMA2000 and WCDMA. For LTE, mean Tx power varied widely by operator (two operators <0.1% of maximum; one operator 0.8%–20% across three bands). Calculated maximum 1-g peak spatial-average SAR at mean Tx power in an LTE network was 4.8 mW/kg for a child head model, and a maximum gap of 25 dB in psSAR was observed across networks considered.

Outcomes measured

  • Measured mobile phone transmitted (Tx) power levels in operating networks (Seoul, 2015 and 2017)
  • Calculated brain specific absorption rate (SAR) / 1-g peak spatial-average SAR (psSAR) during voice calls with phone at the ear
  • Comparisons across network technologies (CDMA2000, WCDMA, LTE) and mobile operators
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone (voice calls)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured mobile phone transmitted (Tx) power levels in operating networks (Seoul, 2015 and 2017)",
    "Calculated brain specific absorption rate (SAR) / 1-g peak spatial-average SAR (psSAR) during voice calls with phone at the ear",
    "Comparisons across network technologies (CDMA2000, WCDMA, LTE) and mobile operators"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Measured mean Tx power was <0.5% of maximum for CDMA2000 and WCDMA. For LTE, mean Tx power varied widely by operator (two operators <0.1% of maximum; one operator 0.8%–20% across three bands). Calculated maximum 1-g peak spatial-average SAR at mean Tx power in an LTE network was 4.8 mW/kg for a child head model, and a maximum gap of 25 dB in psSAR was observed across networks considered.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "voice call",
    "transmitted power",
    "Tx power",
    "SAR",
    "psSAR",
    "brain exposure",
    "CDMA2000",
    "WCDMA",
    "LTE",
    "Seoul",
    "Korea",
    "child head model",
    "wireless communication networks"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Includes SAR/psSAR exposure metrics relevant to RF exposure assessment and guideline context, though no policy discussion is provided."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1109/access.2020.3020831.01
PubMed: Not supplied

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