Does your mobile phone emit maximum radiation? Here's how to protect yourself

Radiation emitted from mobile phones have long been a topic of debate among health experts. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists down reasons "why people are concerned that cell phones might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems". Radiation from cell phones is now being increasingly linked to cancer.

According to NCI, radiofrequency energy (radio waves) emitted from cell phones can easily get absorbed by the tissues nearest to the phone's antenna.

"Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as from x-rays, is known to increase the risk of cancer. However, although many studies have examined the potential health effects of non-ionizing radiation from radar, microwave ovens, cell phones, and other sources, there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk," noted NCI.

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Many companies have now come up with chips that can be stuck to the body of your cell phone and help in reducing the radiation emitted by the device.

While there may not be an easy way to measure the amount of radiation emitted by a particular smartphone device, a leading statistics companies Statista has put together a list of popular cell phones that emit the most and the least amount of radiation.

Xiaomi MI A1, OnePlus 5T, Huawei Mate 9, Nokia Lumia 630 and Huawei P9 Plus emerged as the phones emitting the most radiation.

Sony Experia M5, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Google Pixel XL and Samsung Galaxy S8+ featured among the phones that emit the least radiation.

The online statistics company sourced the data from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz).

The German body, on its official website, lists out ways to ensure minimum radiation exposure to individuals.

"Make calls using a headset. This applies to smartphones as well as to classic mobile phones. Surfing the internet and accessing e-mails should be done only when there is a good reception or using wi-fi. Wi-fi networks usually have a lower transmission power than the mobile communication standards UMTS, GSM or LTE," notes the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection.

Some other things to be kept in mind to ensure less exposure to mobile phone radiation includes the following:

- Access e-mails manually only when necessary

- Avoid receiving e-mails during a telephone call.

- Switch off background data traffic whenever possible.

- Maintain sufficient distance from your body while surfing the internet on your tablet or smartphone.