| 5 3 2002
Most medical studies indicate there is no link between phone use and health problems, including cancer - although the jury is still out on a final determination.
As the international debate over the safety of cell phone use continues, a Swedish company that evaluates the performance and safety of electronic devices in the workplace is offering what it claims is the world's first quality and environmental label for mobile phones.
TCO Development, a subsidiary of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, which represents 1.2 million working professionals, said the initial focus of its TCO'01 label is listing the radiation emission levels of a mobile phone.
Other label requirements for manufacturers will include the communication effectiveness of the phone -- measured by what TCO calls "telephone communication power" (TCP) -- as well as ergonomic comfort and ecological impact of the device.
In evaluating radiation emissions of a phone, TCO said it will measure the electromagnetic fields absorbed in the head while using a mobile phone to calculate the specific absorption rate (SAR).
Because TCO is developing a labeling program with international applications, the group is using U.S. limit values as a starting point when preparing the SAR value standard, as opposed to the less strict European Union limit. The EU allows a maximum SAR value of 2.0 W/kg, whereas TCO'01 limits the SAR value to 0.8 W/kg.
Power Play
To provide a more thorough evaluation of emissions, TCO Development has introduced the TCP measurement, which will indicate how much of a phone's power is used for communicating as opposed to emitting radiation into the user's head or other body parts.
Thus, an acceptable telephone uses most of its power for communication, and little power is lost via absorption of electromagnetic fields by the user. The optimum combination is a low SAR value and a high TCP value.
"The reason behind TCP as a measurement of communication effectiveness is that it provides us with a more complete picture of the phone's effect on the user," said Jan Rudling, president of TCO Development.
GSM Phones Targeted
TCO Development has defined "mobile phone" as a portable, battery-driven product that is used primarily for telephonic communication and to send and receive short messages. This definition does not include PDAs (personal digital assistants) or other hardware that includes a telephony function but does not have a traditional keypad.
In the first version of its standard, TCO Development will certify only mobile phones that use the GSM (global system for mobile communications) standard, which is most popular in Europe but is gaining ground in the United States and around the world.
Evaluating Chemical Composition
The levels of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields associated with cell phone use have caused concern, with most medical studies indicating there is no link between phone use and health problems, including cancer -- although the jury is still out on a final determination.
While accepting this concern, TCO Development said it is expanding its evaluation of mobile use to include ergonomics and ecological considerations. Areas under evaluation range from how the design of the buttons and display affect phone use, to the amount of hazardous substances -- such as brominated flame retardants, cadmium or mercury -- found in the phone.
"The rapid technological developments leading to wireless communication and third-generation mobile telephony, which involve the handling and management of immense amounts of data, will set new demands on equipment from an ergonomic point of view," the company said in announcing its labeling program.
Look for TCO Label
Labeling criteria were developed with input from users, industry researchers and experts in related areas. TCO Development got started in the 1980s with quality and environmental labeling of computer displays. Of the 100 million monitors produced annually, some 50 percent are TCO-labeled, the company said.
Phone manufacturers will file applications to have their equipment labeled by TCO Development, and, if laboratory tests and inspections indicate that the equipment meets the requirements, a certificate will be issued entitling the product to be labeled.
While the mobile phone labeling is intended for international manufacturers, it initially will be used in countries and regions that operate GSM networks
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