Cellphone Radiation Is Real. Here Are 5 Ways To Protect Yourself
BY ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING
GROUP
DECEMBER 14, 2013 4:50 AM EST
Back in 1996, when the Federal
Communications Commission set a legal maximum on cellphone radiation, Motorola
was touting its tiny $2,000 StarTac, the first clamshell phone and an early
adopter of texting!
Sixteen years later,
cellphones—with 6 billion subscriptions worldwide and counting—have
revolutionized how we communicate. The technology that powers them has changed
just as dramatically. Today’s smartphones vibrate, rock out, show high-def
movies, make photos and videos, issue voice commands, check email, go
underwater, navigate with global positioning systems and surf the web in 3-D.
Yet those 16-year-old FCC rules
still stand. Are they protecting the public from radiation coming out of those
multi-tasking marvels and the networks that enable them?
We doubt it.
Studies conducted by numerous
scientific teams in several nations have raised troubling questions about
possible associations between heavy cellphone use and serious health dangers.
The World Health Organization has declared that cellphone radiationmay be
linked to brain cancer. Ten studies connect cellphone radiation to diminished
sperm count and sperm damage. Others raise health concerns such as altered
brain metabolism, sleep disturbance, and behavioral changes in children.
These studies are not definitive,
and much more research is needed. But they raise serious questions that cast
doubt on the adequacy of the FCC rules to safeguard public health. The FCC
emissions cap allows 20 times more radiation to reach the head than the body as
a whole, does not account for risks to children’s developing brains and smaller
bodies and considers only short-term cellphone use, not frequent calling
patterns over decades.
The FCC’s safety standards for
cellphone radiation safety were based on studies conducted in the 1980s.
These studies have long since been
rendered obsolete by newer research. Yet for years the FCC refused to update or
even review its standards. Instead, the federal agency simply sat on its hands
while cellphones became ever more powerful and ubiquitous.
The agency is finally moving to
meet the realities of the 21st century and the Information Age. In June, FCC
chairman Julius Genachowski circulated a proposal to his four fellow
commissioners calling for formal review of the 1996 regulations. To advance,
his plan must be approved by a majority of the commissioners. If they agree,
the FCC could take the long overdue step of modernizing its safety standards.
But the pace is likely to be glacial.
Americans need new, more protective
cellphone standards that reflect the current science and society’s heavy
dependence on mobile communications. Consumers need—now more than
ever—real-world, relevant data on how much radiation their phones emit under
various circumstances. The FCC does not require the cellphone industry to
disclose these data. One important study showing that certain networks could
expose consumers to 30 to 300 times more radiation than other networks was
hidden from the public until the information was dated to the point of
irrelevancy.
Given this appalling lack of
information in the face of a cellphone market where just about anything goes,
the Environmental Working Group is suspending publication of the EWG guide to
cellphones until the FCC makes the responsible decision to require cellphone
makers to generate and disclose data about device and network emissions under
real-world conditions. We strongly believe that as cellphones become more
powerful and ubiquitous, it is critical that people have a right to know how
much radiation they can expect their cellphones to generate. As things now
stand, the FCC’s cellphone safety rules are as obsolete as the StarTac.
In the meantime, here are 5 things
you can do to protect yourself when using a cellphone:
1. Use a headset or a speaker.
Choose either wired or wireless. If you go wireless, make sure to take your headset out of your ear when you’re not on a call. Use your phone in speaker mode.
2. When in use, hold phone away from your body.
Why? The amount of radiation absorbed by your head and body decreases dramatically with even a small distance. Don’t put the phone in your pocket or clip it to your belt, even when using your headset.
3. Text more, talk less.
Phones emit less radiation when sending text rather than voice communications.
4. Call when the signal is strong.
Fewer signal bars mean the phone must try harder to broadcast its signal. Research shows that radiation exposure increases dramatically when cell phone signals are weak.
5. Don’t store your phone in your pocket (or under your pillow).
When a phone is on and not in use, it still sends out an intermittent signal to connect with nearby cell phone towers, which means radiation exposure is still happening.
To learn more, visit the EWG's FAQ
on Cellphones, and the Executive Summary on Cellphones.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
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