From several reports by the National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) it was possible to get a picture of the use of mobile phones. Figure 1 shows the number of spoken minutes from mobile to fixed, from mobile to mobile and from fixed to mobile. Data for mobile-fixed and mobile-mobile between 2001-2006 are from PTS [1], the projections and the estimated numbers for fixed-mobile was done by me.
Figure 1. Estimated speech time from and to mobile phones in Sweden
Since a phone conversation from fixed to mobile only involves mobile radiation to one person it is necessary to double the amount of speech time for the case of mobile to mobile if we want to estimate the total exposure profile over time. This has been done in Figure 2 and includes data from earlier reports and the estimates shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2. The total number of years that mobile phones have been used in Sweden per year. Included is also the accumulated number of 'Ear-years'.
As an example we can look at the development of brain tumors in Sweden. Since brain tumors are most frequent at older ages we will concentrate at people from 60 and older. Figure 3 shows that the number of brain tumors in this age group has been decreasing for many years, but that it now is sharply increasing since 2001.
Figure 3. After many years of decreasing numbers of new brain tumors found each year, the rate seems be increasing again for older people.
1. Larsson J, Öst F. Svensk telemarknad 2006. National Post and Telecom Agency, PTS-ER-2007:15. ISSN 1650-9862, p 39.