Published on 06/05/2022 at 5:36 p.m.,
Reading 2 mins.
Influencers regularly promote anti-radiation patches to stick on the smartphone. Useless, these gadgets would even cause the opposite effect than that expected, ie increase the emission of waves. Update on the question with Dr Christophe De Jaeger, physiologist and member of the expert committee of Doctissimo.
The waves are sometimes so scary that some people want to protect themselves at all costs. Some influencers have therefore been approached to promote anti-radiation patches to stick on the mobile phone.
Waves essential to the operation of the telephone
Smartphones operate independently, radio waves are used by the phone to function. He therefore emits and receives them. These waves constitute an electromagnetic spectrum, which has its own characteristics: frequency, energy, wavelength…
This spectrum is found everywhere and allows networks like WiFi to work. “For a patch to be effective, it would have to completely surround the phone because the radiation emits in all directions“says Christophe De Jaeger first.
No health benefit
These anti-wave patches are presented as the solution to limit exposure to waves from your mobile phone. Influencers advocate an effect on sleep or headaches. However, according to our colleagues from Numerama, the two founders of Fazup admit that their product “eliminates the feeling of headaches, not that it eliminates headaches“.
The National Frequency Agency, whose role is to verify the compliance of exposure levels, goes further and writes clearly that “anti-radiation devices intended to be placed on or near the antenna of the mobile telephone do not show significant protection effectiveness for all mobile telephones and frequency bands tested“.
A show finally accentuated?
These anti-wave patches exist and are promoted despite the various health authorities which have explained their uselessness and this for a very long time sometimes. “What the general public should understand is that these patches do not suppress the waves, and if these are attenuated it is not known to what extent” still exposes Dr. De Jaeger. “I think that the risk lies rather in the fact that this constitutes a blockage and that the emission of waves is more accentuated”.
Same opinion from ANSES since 2013
Already in 2013, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses) tested 13 devices and concluded that “anti-radiation devices intended to be placed on or near the antenna of the mobile phone do not show significant protection efficiency for all the mobile phones and frequency bands tested. No conclusion can therefore be made as to their effectiveness in reducing the level of SAR, the specific absorption rate“.
More seriously, ANSES was also concerned in 2013 that “protections which modify the radio performance of mobile telephones, for example by degrading the reception capacities, risk, under real conditions of use, increasing the level of exposure of the user”. Either the opposite of what the anti-wave patch advocates.
Prevention tips
Smartphones are objects that are part of our daily life and sometimes that of the youngest. But the effects of waves on the body of adults and children is still poorly understood. Dr. De Jaeger therefore advises to bet on the precautionary principle and “use them by keeping them as far away from you as possible, using the loudspeaker function”. And advises against the use of these patches, which could “falsely reassure” and encourage, especially the youngest, to spend even more time glued to their smartphone, day and night.