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Evaluation of children exposure to electromagnetic fields of mobile phones using age-specific head models with age-dependent dielectric properties

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 2310

Using age-specific child head models with age-dependent dielectric properties, maximum SAR in brain tissues of young children (3 months) was higher than adults by up to 61% at 700 MHz and 78% at 2600 MHz. Percentage absorption power in the heads of young chil…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017
Study typeengineering
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

- Evaluation of children exposure to electromagnetic fields of mobile phones using age-specific head models with age-dependent dielectric properties Mohammed B, Jin J, Abbosh A, Bialkowski K, Manoufali M, Crozier S. Evaluation of children exposure to electromagnetic fields of mobile phones using age-specific head models with age-dependent dielectric properties. IEEE Access. PP(99). 2017 Abstract Given the rapid introduction of mobile phones and other portable wireless devices into society, and the increased possibility of young children using or being exposed to electromagnetic (EM) fields, a study of specific absorption rate (SAR) in the head of young children is becoming increasingly relevant. To accurately evaluate the exposure of children to electromagnetic fields, realistic head models, which consider the age-specific anatomical structure and age-dependent tissues dielectric properties, are developed. During postnatal development of human tissues, the number and size of cells increase while the proportion of water content decreases. Such changes result generally in significant changes in the dielectric properties of tissues. The SAR levels for different ages are investigated using the developed child's head models when young children or their parents use a standard mobile phone. The results show that the maximum SAR levels in brain tissues of young children (3 months) are higher by up to 61% and 78% than adults at the lowest (700 MHz) and highest (2600 MHz) investigated frequencies, respectively. The percentage absorption power in the heads of young children (3 months) is higher by up to 40.6% and 24% than the values for adults at 700 MHz and 2600 MHz, respectively. Our investigation shows that previous studies, which used scaled head models without considering the age- dependent variations in the head anatomy and/or age-dependent tissues' dielectric properties, underestimated SAR levels in the children's heads. The obtained results using the developed realistic head models indicate that for young children, a lower limit on radiated power might be required to meet the acceptable dosimetry levels. 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 typeengineering
Effect directionharm
PopulationChildren (including 3 months) and adults (comparative modeling)
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using age-specific child head models with age-dependent dielectric properties, maximum SAR in brain tissues of young children (3 months) was higher than adults by up to 61% at 700 MHz and 78% at 2600 MHz. Percentage absorption power in the heads of young children (3 months) was higher than adults by up to 40.6% at 700 MHz and 24% at 2600 MHz. The authors state that prior studies using scaled head models without age-dependent anatomy/dielectric properties underestimated SAR in children.

Outcomes measured

  • Specific absorption rate (SAR) in head/brain tissues
  • Percentage absorption power in the head

Limitations

  • Modeling/simulation study (head models) rather than direct measurements in humans
  • No absolute SAR values reported in the abstract (only relative differences)
  • Sample size and details of phone use scenario/radiated power not specified in the abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "engineering",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Children (including 3 months) and adults (comparative modeling)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Specific absorption rate (SAR) in head/brain tissues",
    "Percentage absorption power in the head"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using age-specific child head models with age-dependent dielectric properties, maximum SAR in brain tissues of young children (3 months) was higher than adults by up to 61% at 700 MHz and 78% at 2600 MHz. Percentage absorption power in the heads of young children (3 months) was higher than adults by up to 40.6% at 700 MHz and 24% at 2600 MHz. The authors state that prior studies using scaled head models without age-dependent anatomy/dielectric properties underestimated SAR in children.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Modeling/simulation study (head models) rather than direct measurements in humans",
    "No absolute SAR values reported in the abstract (only relative differences)",
    "Sample size and details of phone use scenario/radiated power not specified in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "children",
    "infant",
    "head model",
    "dielectric properties",
    "specific absorption rate",
    "SAR",
    "mobile phone",
    "700 MHz",
    "2600 MHz",
    "RF exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Evaluates SAR in child vs adult heads from standard mobile phone use at 700 and 2600 MHz."
    },
    {
      "slug": "dosimetry-modeling",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Develops age-specific anatomical head models with age-dependent dielectric properties to estimate SAR."
    }
  ]
}
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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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