Are you tempted to buy an anti-wave patch to protect yourself from the waves emitted by your smartphone? We strongly advise you to avoid it because, in addition to being completely useless, these accessories turn out to be dangerous!
You have probably already come across an advertisement for anti-wave patches on social networks or on YouTube. You know, those little devices that come in the form of stickers to place in a specific location on the back of your smartphone and that promise to protect you from electromagnetic waves. Sold for a few dozen euros, they are often promoted with tempting promo codes by influencers, who present them as the miracle solution to headaches, tinnitus, sleep disorders and tumors caused by radio waves, in particular for people declaring themselves photosensitive and pregnant women. At the same time, it is true that we are immersed in all kinds of waves on a daily basis, whether with phones, tablets, computers, Internet boxes and other connected objects! An overexposure which raises legitimate questions and concerns, in particular regarding their impact on our health – they are even accused of causing miscarriages, tumors and cancers! But what is it really?
It is normal for you to be wary of connected devices, and particularly smartphones, given that, unlike household appliances, they emit waves – instead of simply receiving them – for a prolonged period and very close to your body – when you do so. stick to your ear to make a call or put it in your pants pocket for example. Obviously, that must have consequences! Numerous studies have been carried out over the last two decades to determine whether or not they represent a health risk, particularly with regard to the appearance of brain tumors. Impossible however to rule on the question, because scientists lack perspective and the potential effects can only be seen in the long term. As a precaution, however, protection standards have been put in place, such as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) – it reflects the acceptable level of exposure to the waves emitted by a smartphone for three different areas of the body, namely the head , the trunk and the limbs – which smartphone manufacturers must absolutely respect. Caution is the mother of safety !
But then, why not add one of the famous anti-wave patches to the back of your smartphone, as a precaution? Imagine that the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) and the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) have carried out several investigations on this subject. It emerged that the majority of companies selling this type of device base themselves on user feelings – the famous placebo effect? – and not on scientific measurements. And for the few who do, the measures do not show effectiveness. Worse, the patches even have the opposite effect!
The purported purpose of the patches is to block the waves emitted by the phone to prevent them from affecting you. However, if we prevent it from transmitting, the smartphone will simply increase its power! Clearly, as the propagation of waves between the smartphone antenna and the transmitter antenna is hampered by the anti-wave patch, the device emits even more waves in order to be able to overcome the obstacle and maintain the connection to the network… In other words, the cure is worse than the disease and can, in the long term, really affect your health!
To protect yourself, the best thing is to keep your smartphone away from your body – more than one meter – when it is on the mobile network, by using a hands-free kit or wired headphones to make your calls for example, and by holding it away from your head to surf the Internet. This is even more important when you are moving, because the device must constantly search for new relay antennas to maintain communication, often using its maximum power. And don’t keep it near your head when you sleep!