Radiation in appliances

Data communication between the mobile phone and the base station is carried out using radio waves. The only scientifically verified effect of radio waves on tissue is warming. The warming effect in the tissue caused by mobile phones is so insignificant that it causes no health hazards. 

Operation of mobile phones 

Data communication between the mobile phone and the base station is carried out using radio waves. The call or other information is transmitted from the mobile phone as a radio wave to the nearest base station and from there to the fixed network. The mobile phone adjusts its transmission power depending on how good the reception is. 

According to current knowledge, mobile phone radio waves do not cause health problems 

The only scientifically verified effect of radio waves on humans is tissue heating. Mobile phones do not heat the tissues so much that it would be harmful to health under any circumstances. 

Thousands of studies have been conducted on the health effects of radio frequency fields. Independent expert panels such as the European Commission’s scientific committee SCHEER (Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks), WHO (World Health Organization) and ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) have published extensive literature reviews on the health effects of radio frequency fields. According to the surveys, the limit values for exposure in Finland are up to date. 

Radiation safety requirements and monitoring of radio equipment worn close to the body 

As an authority, STUK supervises the radiation safety of body-worn radio equipment intended for consumers. Surveillance is carried out by testing different radio equipment on the market, such as mobile phones and tablet computers. The manufacturer, importer or, ultimately, the distributor is responsible for the safety of the sold product. The manufacturer must carry out conformity assessment before placing the product on the market and is held accountable for ensuring that the product complies with the relevant requirements. 

Specific absorption rate (SAR) is used as a measure of the exposure caused by the radio equipment. SAR value describes the power absorbed from the radio wave into the tissues of the head or body area. Its unit is W/kg. The maximum allowed value of 2 W/kg is confirmed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s Decree 1045/2018. The limit value is well below an exposure level that is known to cause adverse health effects. 

Manufacturers of body-worn radio equipment measure the SAR value of a product and ensure that the limit value is not exceeded. In some radio equipment, the transmission power is so low that there is no need for SAR testing. Such are, for example, most of Bluetooth equipment. 

The principle of SAR testing is that the measured value is at least as high as in the actual use situation causing the maximum exposure. For example, in the case of a mobile phone, this corresponds to a situation where the phone is in a poor reception area and the user is talking or transferring data, while the equipment is held either on the head or on the body. 

STUK has carried out market surveillance testing for mobile phones since 2003 and for other radio equipment since 2013. Testing is performed by applying international IEC and CENELEC standards. The SAR value of all radio equipment tested by STUK has been lower than the limit value. 

Some children get a phone watch as their first phone. The child can make calls or send messages with the watch. Phone watches work in the mobile communication network using radio waves. 

The phone watch is held close to the body, so part of the energy of the radio waves is absorbed by the body. The only scientifically proven effect of radio waves on humans is tissue heating. The heating of tissues caused by the radio waves of phone watch is so small that it does not cause any health problems. 

STUK has measured the exposure caused by six phone watch models. The exposure caused by all tested devices was lower than the limit values. Read more about the radiation safety requirements and monitoring of radio equipment worn close to the body in the Mobile phones section of this page. 

In a wireless local area network (WLAN), a terminal device, such as a computer, printer, television, game console or mobile phone, is connected to a global computer network or another terminal device wirelessly using microwaves. WLAN is commonly used in homes, workplaces, hotels, meeting rooms and cafes. Wireless technology is also used in schools and kindergartens for educational purposes, as the know-how about information and communication technology and the management of Internet use are important in today's society. The powers of WLAN transmitters are low and therefore, WLAN is safe to use. 
  
The wireless LAN hub is a WLAN base station or router. It usually also has a modem that connects via cable or microwaves to the network of the Internet service provider. The base station shares the network connection with LAN terminals. The base station and terminal have antennas which transmit and receive signals and thus enable wireless data transmission between devices. Due to the low transmission power, the terminal device can be within a maximum distance of 100 to 200 meters from the base station. As the data transfer rate decreases with increasing distance, several base stations need to be located in different parts of the wireless local area network to ensure a sufficiently fast connection throughout the whole area. 

Due to the low transmission power of WLAN devices, microwaves are weak even in the vicinity of the devices and weaken rapidly as the distance to the devices increases. Even several WLAN devices in the same room do not generate microwaves in the room that are strong enough to cause health problems, even if the room is occupied for long periods of time. Thus, in a school classroom, all students can safely use the WLAN at the same time.    

The strongest microwaves are in the vicinity of the WLAN base station, as all traffic between the terminals and the network passes through it. In addition, when browsing the Internet, most of the data is going to the terminals, so the base station sends microwaves most of the time. It is therefore sensible to place the WLAN base station away from the living area to ensure a trouble-free connection. The base station can be placed on the ceiling of a room, for example.
 

Smart meters are meters that can be read remotely, wirelessly or via the electricity network, and are used by electricity, water and gas companies to monitor a household's electricity, water and gas consumption. There are also thermometers for private use that can be read wirelessly by mobile phone. Wireless smart meters emit microwaves at low power and only when they are being read. This means that the radiation from smart meters is very low, even in the vicinity of the meters, and does not cause any health problems. In addition, smart meters are usually installed in the basement of a house, in a technical room or on the wall of a residential apartment (electricity meter), i.e., in places where people do not spend long periods of time.

In an induction stove, an electric current generates a strong magnetic field on the hotplate, which heats the bottom of the cooking pot placed on the plate. A small part of the magnetic field may be directed at the user of the induction stove. However, the exposure is low and no adverse health effects have been reported for children, adults, pregnant women or foetuses. However, the magnetic field may interfere with pacemakers or other active implanted medical devices in the body. 

Induction stoves operate at frequencies above the 50 hertz (Hz) frequency of the mains supply, known as intermediate frequencies (20,000-100,000 Hz). The current applied to the hotplate of the stove generates a magnetic field which heats the bottom of the cooking pot, which is made of a magnetically dissipative material. Thus, an induction stove heats the contents of the pot faster than an electric stove, which heats both the hotplate and the bottom of the cooking pot.  

An induction stove only generates a magnetic field when a current is applied to its hotplate. The current will not be switched on if the material of the pot placed on the plate is not suitable for induction cooking or if the pot does not cover a sufficiently large part of the plate. Most of the magnetic field remains at the bottom of the pot.

Exposure to the magnetic field from the induction stove does not cause any health problems for children, adults, pregnant women or foetuses. Your exposure will be minimised if you follow these steps:

• Follow the instructions for use provided by the manufacturer of the induction stove. 
• Use only cookware that is suitable for induction heating and that has the word "induction" on the bottom or is made of cast iron. The suitability of the cookware can be easily checked by testing whether the permanent magnet sticks to it. 
• Choose a cooking pot the size of the hotplate and place it on the hotplate so that the whole hotplate is covered. 

Pacemakers and other active implanted medical devices may be disturbed when using an induction stove. Ask your doctor about the risk of interference with these devices and make sure that it is safe to use an induction stove with them.
 

Ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) is classified into three sub-categories on the basis of the radiation wavelength and photon energy: UV-A, UV-B and UV-C radiation. The wavelength of UV-C radiation is the shortest and photon energy the greatest. There is no UV-C radiation in nature since the atmosphere filters the UV-C radiation completely from solar radiation. 

UV-C radiation is used to disinfect air, water and surfaces in hospitals and industry. It is dangerous for humans and burns the skin and damages the eyes easily. 

UV-C radiation is well-suited for disinfecting air and water. However, it is less well suited for disinfecting surfaces. UV-C radiation does not penetrate deeply, which means that it will not pass through materials well. Even a thin layer of dirt or shading prevents UV-C radiation from reaching the object to be disinfected. UV-C radiation is poorly suited for disinfecting porous surfaces. Therefore, high radiation doses must be used when disinfecting surfaces. When disinfecting surfaces, UV-C disinfection supplements other disinfecting methods. 

UV-C radiation is dangerous to humans, animals and plants 

UV-C radiation burns the skin and damages the eyes. Damage can be inflicted quickly, with efficient lamps in seconds. Exposure limit values for UV-C radiation are set both for public and occupational exposure. It is not allowed to exceed these values when using the UV-C disinfection. The UV-C dose required for disinfection damages both the skin and eyes and clearly exceeds the exposure limit values. It is prohibited to direct UV-C lamps towards humans.  Skin and eyes must be protected in spaces that are being UV-C disinfected. 

UV-C radiation is also harmful to animals and plants, so they should not be exposed to it. 

UV-C radiation generates ozone. Ozone is a poisonous gas that causes respiratory symptoms and eye irritation. The amount of ozone depends on the UV-C lamp type. Sufficient ventilation should be ensured in spaces disinfected with UV-C. Ozone has a characteristic pungent odour, “electric odour”. If you can smell ozone, it is likely that there is too much ozone in the space. 

UV-C radiation ages materials. It makes plastics, rubber and other materials yellow and brittle. When disinfecting with UV-C radiation, it must be ensured that the materials tolerate UV-C radiation.