Today, there are more than 4 billion cell phone users worldwide; that’s about 4 out of every 6 people who live on this planet and own a cell phone, subscribe to a cell phone plan, or live with someone who owns a cell phone. The ubiquity of wireless phones highlights certain issues related to this device, such as the dangers of cell phones to human health.
All mobile phones, when turned on, emit electromagnetic radiation in the microwave radio frequency range. It is this cell phone radiation, as it is absorbed by human tissue (most commonly in the head, when you hold the phone to your ear when talking) that has come under intense scrutiny in the last decade. Several epidemiological and experimental studies have associated prolonged cell phone use with sleep disorders, cognitive problems, headaches, stress, brain tumors, and cancer.
Experiment without controls
On the other hand, studies with conflicting results and observations have also been published. CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying association, pointed to studies or statements by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Cancer Society, and the FDA that downplay the potential dangers of cell phones, “all have agreed that wireless devices are not a public health risk. “
But, as Professor Devra Davis of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute explains, “the latency between exposure and brain cancer could be 20 or 30 years” and when using cellular devices without a clear understanding of the dangers of cell phones, we’re basically treating ourselves like lab rats in an experiment with no control. “
The verdict has still been rendered, obviously, but are you willing to take the risk?
Protect yourself
Today at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a company called Pong Research announced the availability of a product called the Pong (TM) BlackBerry Curve (TM) Case that claims to reduce users’ exposure to radiation from mobile phones in 60%. However, until this product is introduced by other manufacturers to cover other brands and is widely marketed, we must all take certain precautionary measures to protect ourselves from the dangers that are suspected to exist in cell phones:
Keep your cell phone away from your body. The greatest exposure to radiation from cell phones is when it is 6 inches or less from any part of the body.
Send more messages, talk less. Receive only the most important calls or make the fewest calls on your phone and transmit messages via SMS.
Use the earpiece or speakerphone feature. Radiation from cordless phones is emitted directly from the unit’s built-in antenna. Wearing headphones ensures that the actual cell phone is located away from your head, which can easily absorb EMF radiation.
Use your landline. It is definitely safer to talk on the landline than on the mobile phone, because this reduces your exposure to radiation.
Turn off your cell phone while charging. Not only will it charge your phone faster, but it will also reduce the radiation emission from your cell phone that everyone in your home or office is exposed to.
Buy or use phones that have been certified or tested to emit the least amount of radiation.. The Environmental Working Group has prepared a comprehensive list covering more than 1,000 phones currently on the market, and has compiled a list of the 10 best phones (with the lowest radiation emission) to use.
Keep mobile phones out of the reach of children.. Children’s skulls are thinner and their brains are less dense than adult brains, radio frequency signals can penetrate deeper into a child’s brain than an adult’s.
“There is greater concern for children because lifetime exposure will be much higher,” says Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group. In the United States, up to seven out of ten children between the ages of 12 and 17 own a mobile phone, and half use it daily, according to the New York Times.
At the moment, there is no conclusive peer-reviewed evidence pointing to the dangers of cell phones from radiation exposure. Science is evolving on this issue, but if we are to err, we should be cautious. When it comes to our health and that of our children, nothing should be left to chance, let us always protect ourselves.
