[SAR values of mobile phones. Safety evaluation and risk perception].

The specific absorption rate (SAR) is a prominent topic in the discussion about precautionary health protection. An experimental study investigated the effect of information about various SAR values (below the existing partial body limit value of 2 W/kg) on safety judgments of potential mobile phones users. It turns out that about 94% of the participants do not know the SAR value of their own mobile phone. SAR values below existing limits are not perceived as equally safe. Rather, the lower the SAR value, the higher the perceived safety. However, a majority of the participants does not consider these SAR values to be 100% safe, even if they are clearly below the existing limits. Explicitly indicating a precautionary limit value (referring to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection or to consumer organizations) does not change this safety evaluation. As expected, safety evaluation of the SAR values is also related to the perception of mobile phone risks. Those who are concerned about mobile phone communication give lower safety judgments than the unconcerned-independent of the level of the SAR values. Irrespective of that, our results suggest that establishing the SAR value as a criterion for mobile phones depends first of all on making it known to the public.