All smartphones emit microwave energy, a form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) when transmitting to cell towers. The most intense EMR comes from radio frequency (RF) waves nearest to the antenna, the radiation’s source. While there is no definitive proof that exposure to the EMR smartphones emit is harmful to users, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as “possibly carcinogenic” (a cancer-causing agent) to humans. WHO recommends adopting what it calls the “precautionary principle,” which addresses uncertain risks and seeks to shift the ways in which science informs policy from a strategy of reaction to one of precaution. A combination of technology and best practices can significantly minimize your exposure to radiation without inhibiting how you use your device and all of its features for making calls, texting, playing music and videos or taking and sharing pictures.
WHO is not alone in its recommendation. The results of a 2010 epidemiologic study called INTERPHONE, funded by the European Union and health agencies in 13 countries, show an increased risk of a certain type of brain tumor called “glioma” from the regular use of cell phones, which the study defined as 1,640 hours or more of cumulative use. In 2011, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that just 50 minutes of cell phone use has been proven to alter activity in the brain area closest to the phone.
Pong Research offers smartphone cases to help minimize exposure to smartphone radiation. With six patents granted and 13 pending, Pong is the world’s only solution proven by FCC-certified laboratories to reduce consumers’ exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (as measured on the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) scale, by redirecting EMR away from the user and diffusing it, while at the same time increasing or maintaining signal strength.
Each case features an embedded antenna module unique to each device’s architecture that electromagnetically couples with its internal antennas. Pong’s technology is not a radiation shield or absorber that interferes with the phone signal. Pong redirects and redistributes radiation away from the head and body, and maintains or increases signal strength. Most users will experience a SAR reduction of more than 95 percent below FCC limits.
Pong rigorously tests its cases in its two internal wireless test labs for SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) and TRP (Total Radiated Power) on all frequencies on which the phone operates worldwide. Two independent labs, CETECOM Inc. and RF Exposure Lab, both designated as TCB (Telecommunications Certification Bodies) by the FCC, verify Pong’s internal testing results.
In addition to using a Pong case, following simple precautions such as using the speakerphone or a Bluetooth earpiece when possible, or texting instead of making phone calls, can reduce your exposure to EMR. While this combination of our technology and these best practices are effective, we also want to call attention to the fact that current FCC smartphone radiation exposure and testing guidelines – in place since 1997, four years before the first smartphones became commercially available – must be updated. The FCC should revise its testing guidelines for the equipment authorization process so that testing is conducted in a manner that actually simulates the way consumers normally use devices. This would include use of the device directly against the head or body; as well as use by vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women. Testing should also account for the presence of accessories such as wireless device cases, which are used by a majority of consumers and which can dramatically alter the radiation profile of a wireless device.
