The Consumer Protection Regulations (information on non-ionizing radiation from a mobile phone) 2002 came into effect to regulate marking and provision of information on the effects of non-ionizing radiation emitted from mobile phones.

Standardization is a regulatory procedure designed to create uniformity in a certain field, and defines the actions required to do so. On the subject of non-ionizing radiation, standardization creates a mechanism to coordinate between relevant bodies through procedures, instructions, values, measurements, etc.  These means constitute reference norms for the adequate use of devices, for public health and safety, and for quality of the environment.

In Israel, responsibility for formulating policy on non-ionizing radiation, and the authority for its implementation, does not devolve on a single entity.  A number of government ministries and public bodies deal with this issue.

The Non-ionizing Radiation Law formulates instructions regarding the installation and operation of radiation-emitting sources – device, appliance or technological system – by whose activity non-ionizing radiation is or may be emitted.

The law was promulgated with the following aims:

To protect the public and the environment from the effects of exposure to non-ionizing radiation.

1. To regulate the installation and operation of radiation-emitting sources (e.g. cellular antennas, transmission equipment, transmission and distribution facilities of the electricity company).
2. To regulate radiation measurement services,.

The law does not apply to radiation sources intended for medical or occupational use, in, or those associated with security or operational activities. Moreover, the law includes an addendum that details the radiation sources for which no permit is required (e.g. mobile/wireless phones, halogen lamps, and household microwave ovens).The Non-ionizing Radiation Law is innovative particularly on the following issues:

1. Regularization of the subject of non-ionizing radiation through law – until the enactment of this law the Ministry of Environmental Protection operated according to the Pharmacists' regulations (Radioactive Elements and their Products) – 1980.  These regulations were initially intended to regulate the use of ionizing radiation and radioactive materials, thus the need to regulate the issue of non-ionizing in a separate law.
2. The precautionary principle – the precautionary principle was incorporated into Israeli legislation for the first time.

Communication describes an activity whereby a connection is created or a message or information is transmitted, and it may be performed naturally, as in face-to-face conversation, or through technological means.

The topic of technologically-based communication embraces a whole world today.  It may be said that modern communication of all types – wired communication, wireless and cellular communication, and data transfer – is a variegated 'salad' of infrastructures, technologies, instruments and systems that are interconnected and mutually supportive.

Some scenarios from daily life may illustrate the complex interconnections of modern communications technologies:

• Telephone communication: line telephone conversation from one city to a mobile phone user in another city. The conversation starts from a wired network, is relayed to a cellular network through a switch center, and from there to a cellular site nearest to the recipient of the conversation

• Use of multimedia: transmission of photographs through a communications network.  A photograph taken with a communication device in one city is transmitted to a nearby cellular site, relayed by the cellular communications network to a cellular site in another city or country, and transmitted from there to the recipient.

Antennas transmit and receive electromagnetic waves.  Generally composed of metals (mainly copper or aluminum), antennas can convert an electric current into electromagnetic radiation and vice versa.  Every wireless communication device contains at least one antenna.

Transmission antennas produce radiofrequency radiation that propagate in space

Receiving antennas perform the reverse process: they receive radiofrequency radiation and convert them into the required signals (e,g. sound, picture) in the receiving device (e.g., radio, television, mobile phone).

The simplest type of antenna consists of two metal rods, and is known as a dipole.  One of the commonest types of antennas is the monopole antenna, consisting of a rod situated vertical to a large metal board that serves as a ground plane.  The antenna mounted on vehicles is usually a monopole, with the metal roof of the vehicle serving as the ground plane.

The shape and size of the antenna determines its operative frequency and its other radiation characteristics.  One of the important attributes of an antenna is its directionality.  In communication between two fixed targets, as in communication between two fixed transmission stations, or in radar applications, a directional antenna is required, in order to direct the transmission energy to the receiver exclusively.  Conversely, when the transmitter or receiver is not stationary, as in cellular communication, a non-directional system is required.  In such cases an omnidirectional antenna is required, that transmits (and receives) all frequencies uniformly in all directions of the horizontal plane, while in the vertical plane, radiation is not uniform and very low.

There is  a lot of discussion on radiation from mobile phones that we use daily, but you cannot see the radiation or feel it, so where's the problem?  What is radiation? And what has that to do with mobile phones?