Should I worry about EMF radiation from my wireless router?

I recently became a Clear Wireless Mobile Broadband representative along with a friend of mine. We were talking to his girlfriends mom and she mentioned a concern about the radiation posed by this new technology. So I set out to find out all about it.


Specific absorption rate or SAR denotes the rate at which energy is absorbed by a human when exposed to RFEMF (radio frequency electromagnetic fields). The scale used is watts per kilogram (W/kg). The value cited is then the maximum level measured in the body part studied over the stated volume or mass. 


All cellphone are rated with a SAR rating to let you know what level of radiation you are receiving, I had recently read about this on facebook in a posting by the Environmental Working Group they said all phones are not created equal in this regards and provided information about the safest phones.

SAR is used to measure exposure to fields between 100 kHz and 10 GHz. It is commonly used to measure power absorbed from mobile phones and during MRI scans. 

WiMax networks are essentially a larger version of a Wi-Fi network

Our Clear wireless modems contain the same technologies as some smart phones so I set out to find out what the SAR rating of my modem was and how that.


I called Clear wireless support and asked them what the SAR rating is on their products, the person that answered could not find my answer so they escalted the call to (Brian A.) someone more knowledgable. He said no one had asked the question before and they did not not the rating. I then asked the the manufacturer's information. He replied:
Brian A:  The 4G+ is made by Sierra Wireless the model is PLCWW80134
Brian A:  The 4G hotspot is made by Infomark its model is IFM-611CW


I looked up Sierra wireless on the internet and gave them a call.The rep, John didn't know off-hand but said he would email me back when they found out.
This is the reply I received:
All FCC related information including SAR is available on the FCC website and available to the general public. FCC Search Link is: http://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/
After a search there I found the info which said the 4G hotspot I have has a SAR rating of 0.919 mW/g Body SAR The average smart phone has a rating 1.18 W/kg so the rating is lower than most. The distance one is from the hotspot reduces the exposure. 


The UK's Health Protection Agency has said that sitting in a wi-fi hotspot for a year results in receiving the same dose of radio waves as making a 20-minute mobile phone call.

In relation to WiMax and Health, the conclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) is:

“Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

WHO Fact sheet 304   

Professor Will J Stewart, fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: "Science has studied the safety of mobile phones for many years and the overwhelming body of evidence shows little cause for concern.",


"As for wi-fi, although these devices operate at a modestly different frequency to mobiles they also operate at a lower power level over a much shorter-range.

"Add to the fact that high-bandwidth wi-fi devices are less likely to be head-mounted and there really is no issue here."


"This is not to say that all electromagnetic radiation is necessarily harmless - sunlight, for example, poses a significant cancer risk; so if you are using your laptop on the beach make sure and get some shade."


Professor Sperrin said one of the difficulties around wi-fi research was that it was impossible to prove a negative.


"It's impossible to prove that something has no effect," he said.


He said there was no justification in discarding wi-fi until it could be proved unsafe.


"The educational benefits from using laptops and having access to information far outweigh any unproven fears over the safety of wi-fi. I am more concerned about the heat laptops generate and the impact that could on sensitive parts of the body." 


So there it is it is more important to not hold your laptop on your lap than to avoid WiMAX or wireless internet in your home.

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