Swiss test finds higher levels of radiation from mobile phones

New measurements show that mobile phones emit more radiation than was previously thought Keystone Archive

A test of nine of the top-selling mobile phones in Switzerland has found that some models give off more radiation than was previously thought.

The test was carried out for the Swiss German television programme, Kassensturz, by Niels Kuster, a pioneer in the field of radiation measurement.

It’s believed radiation from mobiles phones could damage health by affecting brain-cell activity. Mobiles are also suspected of causing brain cancer.

Even though the test found radiation levels were below legal limits, Kuster said they were still far too high. He also found huge differences in the amounts of radiation emitted by different phones.

Kuster said customers were not aware when buying mobiles of the different radiation levels. But, things could change soon, as companies have reportedly decided to declare radiation levels on their products starting this year.

Among the phones tested was Nokia’s 8210 model. It was discovered that it emits twice as much radiation as was previously thought.

Motorola’s V2288 came out best in the test, emitting only half the radiation of the Siemens’ C35i. The Ericsson T28, like the Siemens appliance, got a bad write-up.

The investigation also discovered that one in three mobile phones had poor reception.

swissinfo