SAR Levels: The Hidden EMF Safety Score in Every Device
Tech EMF Radiation: What is SAR & Why It Matters for Your Safety
Here at WaveBlock®, our mission is simple: create affordable, science-proven, and effective EMF-reducing products for your favorite tech devices to help keep you safe from radiation. In addition to our mission, one of our biggest goals is to help educate tech consumers about the potential dangers of EMF radiation as well as ways to protect themselves.
Today, we will be talking about a topic that most people don’t know about. Have you ever heard of SAR? Likely not. And that’s okay! SAR, in relation to EMF Radiation, stands for Specific Absorption Rate. SAR tests are required by the government any time a tech company makes a tech product. SAR rates show how much radiation is absorbed by human tissue. The amount of RF energy (a subset of EMF Radiation) absorbed by the human body depends on things like exposure duration and distance between phone and body. SAR levels are determined by measuring the amount of RF energy absorbed by a human-like test dummy when exposed to cell phone radiation.
At WaveBlock®, honesty and transparency has always been a priority. We are proud to share our detailed and thorough lab testing results from three different FCC-accredited labs that show that our products are effective at reducing EMF radiation for current cell phone power levels. Our lab testing is ready and available on our website. Our reports from TUV SUD and TekVoyager show you our radiation testing results in relation to power levels. Our RF Exposure Lab report contains our science-backed testing that specifically tests SAR levels with and without our WaveBlock® stickers.
It’s important to note that SAR levels of tech devices like phones, iPads, Apple Watches, laptops, etc., are required to be below a certain limit set by regulatory bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. The problem is that the SAR level for cell phones was set back in 1993 when less than 10% of the population used cell phones—and they only used them for short, emergency phone calls. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for a re-evaluation of SAR levels to keep kids and adults safer. The AAP wants the FCC to better assess these levels to reflect a more accurate depiction of what our modern-day devices can do and how much radiation they emit in order to do those functions.
In a tech-driven world, we are constantly surrounded by EMFs. Whether it’s from WiFi routers, cell phones, microwaves, or anything else, the increased exposure to EMFs is ringing alarm bells. There are several studies that have linked long-term EMF exposure to tissue damage, fertility issues, and several other health concerns. Often, we think more about keeping up with the latest and greatest gadgets rather than figuring out if they’re actually safe. It’s something the Environmental Health Trust is trying to warn us about.
If you want to have more peace of mind when using your tech devices, we highly suggest using WaveBlock® EMF-reduction products. One simple application significantly reduces your radiation exposure percentage. In the meantime, let’s get more into SAR.
What is SAR?
As mentioned above, SAR stands for Specific Absorption Rate. It measures how much RF energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to EMFs from devices like phones, tablets, laptops, and more. It can be a crucial tool for assessing EMF exposure and ensuring devices meet certain safety standards. Exposure guidelines for cell phones tell us the maximum level of RF energy that can be absorbed by the head or body with a large safety margin. In theory, the lower the SAR rating, the less RF energy is absorbed. However, as we will talk about later, that SAR rating is subject to change based on where your device is in relation to you, how much it is doing, and other factors.
SAR is scientifically expressed in watts per kilogram (W/kg). The current FCC SAR limit for cell phones is 1.6 W/kg. This limit is set to try and prevent harmful heating effects that could result from lengthy radiation exposure. Again, remember that this limit was set back in the 1990s. Think about how much more an iPhone can do in 2025 than a massive brick of a cell phone could do in 1995. It’s also important to think about how much more our iPhones are glued to our hands, pockets, cheeks, etc., than they were even 15 years ago!
It’s also worth noting that the regulations focus mainly on thermal effects (think overheating skin tissue) rather than any of the other potential health consequences for prolonged EMF exposure. SAR limits ensure that devices sold in the market don’t exceed the limit. However, it does not explain cumulative effects or potential dangers of long-term exposure. While current tech products have to fall in these SAR limits, there is growing research to suggest that non-thermal effects of EMFs could pose several health risks that are not addressed or protected by current regulation.
One of the reasons our founder started WaveBlock® was because he was worried about his kids spending excess time using AirPods and iPads when doing school from home during the pandemic. When he researched online, he not only found that these devices emit small levels of radiation incredibly close to your brain and tissue, but also that certain countries outside the United States have even banned the use of WiFi or other tech devices in nurseries. This is because children are far more susceptible to EMF radiation than adults due to their smaller skulls and developing tissue.
How does this relate to SAR? Other countries tend to have lower SAR limits than the U.S. and/or have updated their SAR guidelines far more recently than the 1990s. There is growing concern over the gap in regulatory standards upheld by the FCC. In fact, there was a landmark court case against the FCC where a court found that the body’s refusal to update guidelines based on new scientific evidence was unjustifiable.
Another important factor besides testing on phones from the 1990s is that SAR limits were designed for 220-pound adult males using a cellphone for six minutes. This leaves out women, children, and also women who are pregnant and how having a device on them much longer would impact their health.
How Can I Find SAR Levels for My Phone?
If you have an iPhone, there is a simple way to do so through your settings.
Go to:
Settings App
Click General
Go to Legal & Regulatory
Click RF Exposure
Did you know you could do this on your phone? We find that most WaveBlock® customers have no idea this is hidden in the fine print of iPhone settings.
Furthermore, Apple even warns customers to opt for hands-free options or other accessories to keep your phone away from you to help reduce exposure to EMFs. You can download a full RF Exposure report based on your device model on Apple’s website.
If you’d like to check the SAR level or RF exposure info for other Apple devices, such as laptops, iPads, Apple Watches, and more, you can click here.
It’s critical to know that these numbers solely represent SAR under specific testing conditions that primarily focus on cellular connection. This means you will find the SAR levels are in compliance with the FCC, but that does not take into account what happens when you use your phone for Bluetooth, WiFi, or anything else. When adding those features, the SAR value will surpass those recorded during standard cellular usage, according to RF Safe.
What SAR Levels Do NOT Show Us
As mentioned above, Apple measures their SAR values for any iPhone solely based on exposure levels while in cellular use only. They are measured when the phone is transmitting at its highest available power level in a controlled environment. This does not include additional features that could increase SAR levels or EMF exposure.
Ever recognize that your phone gets hot when it’s doing a lot? That’s because your phone needs to emit more power (aka EMFs) to do more work. It’s very rare that someone is just using their iPhone in 2025 for a phone call. There are apps, Bluetooth, movies, downloads, and more. This means SAR values increase with usage, leading to more EMF exposure than SAR values alone suggest. Consider SAR levels a baseline—not a full story.
Using a phone with a lower SAR value isn’t necessarily safer. Think of SAR values as something collected by the FCC to ensure that phones don’t exceed the max permissible exposure levels. This is pulled directly from the FCC’s website about what SAR levels do not show:
“The SAR value used for FCC approval does not account for the multitude of measurements taken during the testing. Moreover, cell phones constantly vary their power to operate at the minimum power necessary for communications; operation at maximum power occurs infrequently.
Consequently, cell phones cannot be reliably compared for their overall exposure characteristics on the basis of a single SAR value for several reasons (each of these examples is based on a reported SAR value for cell phone A that is higher than that for cell phone B):
Cell phone A might have one measurement that was higher than any single measurement for cell phone B. Cell phone A would, therefore, have a higher reported SAR value than cell phone B, even if cell phone B has higher measurements than A in most other locations and/or usage configurations. In such a case, a user generally would receive more RF energy overall from cell phone B.
Cell phone A might communicate more efficiently than cell phone B, so that it operates at lower power than cell phone B would under comparable conditions. Consequently, a user would receive more RF energy overall from cell phone B.
The highest value from cell phone A might come from a position which the user seldom or never employs to hold a phone, whereas that user might usually hold a phone in the position that resulted in the highest value for cell phone B. Therefore, the user would receive the highest RF exposure that cell phone B delivers but would not receive the highest RF exposure that cell phone A delivers.”
The WaveBlock® team doesn’t share this to scare you. Rather, we are here to inform you to make better decisions in regards to your health. Using EMF-reduction technology like WaveBlock®, as well as following many of our other free and helpful tips, can help significantly reduce your exposure.
Keep Your Tech & Your Peace of Mind With WaveBlock®
If you take anything from this blog post, we hope it’s that staying educated and informed is your best defense against EMF radiation. WaveBlock® does not want you to stop using your phone or laptop—we want you to use your tech in a smarter, safer way.
The good news is that we’ve done all the research, testing, and innovation for you. Our patented technology reduces EMF exposure without impacting your device’s battery, signal, or connectivity. We offer WaveBlock® EMF-reduction stickers for phones, wireless earbuds, tablets, and laptops.
If you have any questions about our products, research, or how EMFs affect your family, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re a family-owned business proudly based in the USA, and we’re here to help you stay safe.
Frequently Asked Questions: SAR, EMFs & Device Safety
What Do SAR Levels Have to Do With EMF Radiation & Tech?
SAR levels help determine how much RF radiation your body absorbs from tech devices like phones and tablets. They’re key in assessing EMF safety.
Who Sets SAR Levels for Phones and Tech Devices?
SAR limits are set by the FCC in the U.S., and other countries often have stricter or more updated limits.
Are Low SAR Phones Automatically Safer?
Not necessarily. SAR values don’t account for Bluetooth, WiFi, or app usage. It’s the cumulative exposure and proximity that matter most.
How Can I Reduce EMF Exposure From My Devices?
Use EMF-blocking products like WaveBlock®, keep devices away from your body, and limit unnecessary app or Bluetooth usage when possible.
