Realistic numerical modelling of human head tissue exposure to electromagnetic waves from cellular phones

The ever-rising diffusion of cellular phones has brought about an increased concern for the possible consequences of electromagnetic radiation on human health. Possible thermal effects have been investigated, via experimentation or simulation, by several research projects in the last decade. Concerning numerical modeling, the power absorption in a user's head is generally computed using discretized models built from clinical MRI data. The vast majority of such numerical studies have been conducted using Finite Differences Time Domain methods, although strong limitations of their accuracy are due to heterogeneity, poor definition of the detailed structures of head tissues (staircasing effects), etc. In order to propose numerical modeling using Finite Element or Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain methods, reliable automated tools for the unstructured discretization of human heads are also needed. Results presented in this article aim at filling the gap between human head MRI images and the accurate numerical modeling of wave propagation in biological tissues and its thermal effects. To cite this article: G. Scarella et al., C. R. Physique 7 (2006).