FAQ
Radiation-Emitting Household Appliances
Does radiation from Wi-Fi network pass through walls?
Overall, radiation does penetrate walls, but this radiation is weakened as a function of the type of wall and the presence of openings such as doors etc. (namely the radiation measured on the other side of the wall and passing through it, will generally be up to tens of times weaker than that measured in the room where the router is located). This is also true for wireless routers and for cellphone radiation, which uses Wi-Fi or cellular networks.
In accordance with the precautionary principle, the most important rule for limiting exposure to non-ionizing radiation is to distance the radiation source from the body, since radiation drops significantly as the distance from the radiation source grows. Therefore, moving a wireless router to another room and using a cellphone in another room achieve the advantage of reducing the level of radiation relative to the adjacent room, both by increasing the distance and by the blockage created by the wall material.
The cumulative effect of these reductions usually leads to the radiation level in the adjacent room being thousands to hundreds of orders of magnitudes lower than in the room where the sources are located (the wireless router or cellphone).
What is the level of radiation exposure from using internet based television?
Television using a home Wi-Fi network, serves as a “consumer” of this network. Because the broadcasted information uses relatively big files (video files), it often causes the wireless router to operate at its maximal capacity. Nevertheless, it should be clarified that even under these circumstances, the level of radiation exposure from the router is relatively low. For example, at a distance of 1 meter from the wireless router operating at full capacity, the exposure level is about 1 microWatt per cm2. This level of exposure is 1/1000 of the maximal exposure level set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and about 1/100 of the recommended levels of prolonged exposure set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. When the distance from the router is greater, the radiation level decreases with the distance squared (doubling of the distance leads to a 4 fold decrease in radiation level etc.)
Are there recommendations for use of nail dryers?
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Most nail dryers are based on bulbs emitting ultraviolet radiation (UV-A). Some drying devices are based on LED bulbs. |
Nail Dryer Device |
UV bulb -based nail dryers
In general exposure to ultraviolet radiation emitted from the sun or from an artificial source might cause advanced skin aging, wrinkles, development of cataracts, and conjunctival damage. A significant health hazard of exposure to this type of radiation is developing various types of skin tumors, including malignant melanoma. Acute exposure to this radiation may cause burns.
Studies have shown that UV bulbs in nail dryers emit mainly UV-A radiation (it is possible that they also emit UV-B and UV-C radiation, but in tiny amounts that cannot be measured).
The ultraviolet radiation emitted from nail dryers depends on the type of device, type of light source, bulb power and number of bulbs in the device. It has been found that the greater the bulb power, the higher the level of radiation emitted by the device.
From scientific finding currently available it appears that exposure to radiation from UV bulbs for nail drying does not significantly increase the risk of skin cancer in the hands throughout life, apart from the effect of cumulative exposure. And therefore the greater the exposure, the risk of skin damage increases. It is recommended to reduce exposure as much as possible.
The risk of exposure may be reduced significantly by wearing fingerless gloves or by applying sunscreen to the hands before exposure.
LED bulb -based nail dryers
These bulbs also emit UV radiation, but in a narrower spectrum and with higher energy concentration than UV bulbs. To the best of our knowledge, LED bulbs used for nail drying do not emit significant UV-B and UV-C radiation or shorter wavelength radiation.
What level of radiation is emitted by a tablet?
There are two types of tablet – those that work via the cellular network and those that use Wi-Fi communication. Tablets with a modem for surfing the cellular network emit radiation with similar power levels as smartphones. Whereas those that work via Wi-Fi emit radiation with power levels similar to a Wi-Fi network.
When a tablet is operating on a Wi-Fi network, the level of radiation measured as a result of Wi-Fi use is low. The maximal transmission intensity of a typical home wireless router is about 100 milliWatts. Novel router devices and cellphones and advanced tablets produce smaller intensities than this and may even go as low as values of 20 milliWatts.
The level of radiation emanating from Wi-Fi sources, for example a typical home wireless router or tablet falls within the threshold requirements recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for exposure to radiation of Wi-Fi networks.
According to the precautionary principle, the most important rule for limiting exposure to non-ionizing radiation is distancing the radiation source from the body – thus, the more the distance from the radiation source increases, radiation drops significantly. Therefore the tablet should be distanced from the body as much as possible.
When the internet is not being used, Wi-Fi communication can be turned off by cancelling the Wi-Fi connection or by turning off the cellular network surfing modem. Another option is by enabling “flight mode”, in which no transmission and reception are available and thus exposure to RF radiation is prevented.
It should be noted that since these devices are electronically operated, electrical activity occurs in their electronic systems creates very low power electricity flow. The magnetic and electrical fields and the radiation created by them are in very small levels.
Do TV screens emit radiation?
In addressing this issue one must distinguish between different types of TV screens. The new generations of flat TV screens (LCD or LED) typically consume little energy, and the level of exposure to radiation emitted by them is significantly lower than that of the old type.
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flat TV screen |
Vintage TV |
The guiding principle in discussing exposure to non-ionizing radiation is the precautionary principle, which calls for taking simple measures to reduce exposure to the minimal level necessary for efficient and safe use of the given technology, in particular by increasing the distance between the body and the source of radiation .
TV screens based on the old technology consume a relatively high energy electric current, so that they produce magnetic fields of relatively high power in their immediate vicinity. With the new types of screen, the level of exposure to non-ionizing radiation is relatively low, and does not exceed the above recommendation. Conversely, with the older type of screen, one should maintain a certain distance from the screen, based on the principle outlined above.
If a level of radiation higher than the permitted one is suspected, it may be measured by authorized inspectors specialized in ELF radiation. These experts are listed on the website of the Ministry for Environmental Protection (Hebrew).
22.10.2015
Is radiation emitted by cellphones and wireless routers (Wi-Fi) increased in residential secure spaces?
The walls of residential secure spaces are constructed from concrete.
The main effect of the concrete walls compared to block and plaster walls, is greater attenuation (blocking) of radiation. Because of this, radiation entry into residential secure spaces is blocked to a greater degree, causing weakened reception inside these rooms – including the reception of radio transmissions, cellular base stations, routers, Wi-Fi etc.
This weak reception might increase the exposure to radiation emitted from cellphones and devices using Wi-Fi, which increase their strength (or transmit for a prolonged time) in order to overcome the reception difficulty. This is similar to the way cell phones increase their strength when they are at a long distance from cellular base stations and their reception is weak.
The degree to which reception is impaired depends on many factors, including the existence of apertures (windows and doors), the distance from the cellular site and from the wireless router in the house etc.
Similarly, there is also greater attenuation (blockage) of radiation transfer from the residential secure spaces outside (transmissions) and impaired cell phones communication inside these rooms, Wi-Fi communication etc.
It is important to note that radiation is attenuated (blocked) by concrete walls, but it does not accumulate or become trapped inside the secure spaces or inside the walls, even if there are several radiation sources (cell phones, Wi-Fi routers etc.) inside these rooms . In this manner residential secure spaces are similar to ordinary rooms whose walls are made of building blocks or plaster.
