IARC and ICNIRP Researchers Conduct First Epidemiological Study of Smartphone Emissions

A team including IARC researchers (Joachim Schüz, Florence Guida, Isabelle Deltour) and ICNIRP members (Isabelle Lagroye, Anke Huss) measured real-life radiofrequency radiation from smartphones carried by 167 volunteers across three French cities using a novel DEVIN measurement device. Voice calls increased uplink emission power by about 9 dBm — roughly 8 times higher than non-call periods. When connected to Wi-Fi, cellular emissions dropped by about 15 dBm (around 30 times lower), as data traffic offloaded from the cell network. Legacy networks (2G, 3G) produced higher emissions than 4G. Uplink emission is defined as signals transmitted by phones, while downlink emission — which the study did not measure — is radiation received from base station antennas. According to the authors, this is the first epidemiological study of smartphone cellular network uplink emissions in a general population sample.

"Smartphones are a major source of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure, yet real-life determinants of uplink emissions remain poorly characterised."

— Maëlle Fontaine et al.

"We conducted the first epidemiological study of smartphone cellular network uplink emissions in a general population sample, recruiting 167 volunteers across three French cities in 2022-2023."

— Maëlle Fontaine et al.

"These findings demonstrate that real-life smartphone radiofrequency electromagnetic cellular emissions are shaped by a complex interplay of usage patterns, network conditions, and device characteristics."

— Maëlle Fontaine et al.

📄 Underlying Research

Determinants of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by smartphones in French cellular telephony networks.

Maëlle Fontaine et al. (2026) Environmental research Journal Level 2ⓘ

🔗 DOI 📚 PubMed

📱 IARC and ICNIRP Researchers Conduct First Epidemiological Study of Smartphone Emissions

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📄 Underlying Research