New rules regarding exposure to the waves came into force on July 1. They impose mandatory display on more devices.

It is a now common indicator, which can be seen when consulting the data sheet of a smartphone. Alongside the usual characteristics of power, autonomy or weight, the manufacturer also informs the specific absorption rate (SAR). His role ? Quantify the energy of electromagnetic waves emitted by various radioelectric equipment and absorbed by the human body.

It turns out that since July 1, 2020, its display has been reinforced. It was on this date that two new regulatory texts, an order and a decree, came into force. Concretely, it now concerns all radio equipment, if it emits more than 20 microwatts (mW) and if it is intended to be used close to the body – such as wireless earpieces.

Adapt to new uses

In this regard, there was a hole in the racket that had to be patched up: of course, the SAR measurement was already mandatory for this equipment, but their display was optional, except for mobile telephone devices. From now on, the information will have to be visible, whether it is smartphones, tablets, connected watches or wireless headphones, and any other device of the same kind.

Without claiming to be an exhaustive list, the national frequency agency therefore mentions smartphones, 3G, 4G and soon 5G tablets, connected watches with their own SIM card, pocket routers, laptops in 3G, 4G and also 5G, marine portable VHF. Other equipment may also be covered by this regulation, depending on its emission characteristics.

The new regulations on exposure to waves cover, for example, a wireless headset communicating via Bluetooth with a smartphone.

The national frequency agency thus refers to cordless telephones with the DECT standard, walkie-talkies or equivalent devices (PMR), tablets operating in Wii-Fi or Bluetooth, wireless microphones, radio controls for drones or used in model making, connected motorcycle helmets and Wi-Fi laptops

This new directive corrects this regulatory weakness, which did not however pose a considerable problem due to the anecdotal adoption of some of these products at the time. But given the evolution of fashions and uses, with for example the development of a whole range of connected accessories to wear, an update of the rules was justified.

This indicator must appear on the instructions for use of the equipment, when these are placed on the market for the first time after July 1, 2020, but also at the points of sale, not far from the device, and on the advertising media used by the brand to promote it. Due to the intense renewal of equipment that is insisted on in the tech industry, it can be assumed that this update will be generally applied in the near future.

New measure for corps members

Incidentally, a finer distinction is made to measure the SAR according to the area of ​​the body. Before July 2, two zones were defined for the specific absorption rate: the whole body on the one hand (general average evaluation) and the head and trunk on the other hand (local evaluation). Now there is a third area, the DAS for members (another local assessment).

The values ​​do not change for the first two: the SAR must not exceed 0.08 watts per kilogram (W/kg) for the average body and 2 W/kg for the head and the trunk. For the SAR of members, the limit is more permissive, with a ceiling of 4 W/kg. This is of course a maximum: the operation of the devices can be well below these thresholds.

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