The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) uses Apple iPhone 4s and Samsung Galaxy S2 in testing the radiation detector app, Radioactivity Counter.

The app claims that it can measure a person's exposure to radiation in microGray per hour (μGy/h) through cameras built in smartphones. Smartphone cameras are hypersensitive to visible light and energy gamma photons, ANSTO said.

Both Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S2 were tested using ANSTO's Instrument Calibration Facility.

The testing revealed that Radioactivity Counter app, indeed, can measure people's exposure to radiation. The app can be used to warn people of vacating a location that exposes them to higher and risky dose of radiation.

According to ANSTO, a person's yearly limit to radiation exposure is 20 μGy/h for approximately 50 hours.

On the contrary, a recent study revealed that Radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones damages male sperm. The risk is higher for men who have the habit of putting their mobile phones inside the front pocket of their trousers, the study revealed.

To support the study, Dr Fiona Mathews, of Biosciences at the University of Exeter, compiled ten previous studies and 1,492 sample studies from fertility clinics and research centres. Studies conducted measures sperm quality in three different ways.

1. motility (the ability of sperm to move properly towards an egg)

2. viability (the proportion of sperm that were alive)

3. and concentration (the number of sperm per unit of semen).

"Given the enormous scale of mobile phone use around the world, the potential role of this environmental exposure needs to be clarified. This study strongly suggests that being exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from carrying mobiles in trouser pockets negatively affects sperm quality. This could be particularly important for men already on the borderline of infertility, and further research is required to determine the full clinical implications for the general population," Mathews explained.

The study is titled, "Effect of mobile telephones on sperm quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis" and published by the journal Environment International.