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Undoubtedly, cell phones have brought convenience and instant accessibility to our lives. It’s hard to imagine how we ever lived without these phones, much less walked or drove from point A to point B without chatting away on them. Not only do we most often use cell phones to make calls, but we check our email, surf the net, and even use them to keep time. Knowing that our children can check in with us at any time of day, no matter where they are, may bring a seemingly priceless sense of security and ease. Do the conveniences of cell phones come without costs, though? Approximately 90 percent of Americans, and 4 billion people worldwide, are using cell phones. Could such prevalent cell phone use pose a health risk? Are we subjecting ourselves to harmful “electro-pollution"?
Unfortunately, we cannot rely on currently permitted cell phone safety standards to protect us against potential health problems like cancer and DNA damage. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set the standards governing radio frequency (RF) exposure in 1996. The FCC standards for cell phone emissions were based on opinions and recommendations from outside organizations which had examined existing scientific literature, most of which had been industry funded. Current safety standards are insufficient for a number of reasons, some of which we’ll explore in this section.
The bottom-line problem is that we just don’t know yet, when it comes to our health, how much cell phone use is too much. Scientists and researchers are divided on the issue. While some studies demonstrate a link between cell phone use and adverse health effects like brain cancer, others do not. There is a lack of consistency and reliability in the totality of existing evidence which prevents any conclusive determinations about cell phone safety or harm. The majority of researchers agree that more research and better data is necessary.
As prevalence and duration of cell phone use have increased dramatically, especially among children and teens, over the past decades, various individuals and organizations have been raising concerns about possible health risks of cell phone use. Some are urging government authorities to adopt the precautionary principle and advocate preventative cell phone habits as a public policy initiative. Public awareness of how to use cell phones in a safer manner is one step in the right direction; understanding why is another.
© 2010 Heart MD Institute, PA
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Tips for Safer Cell Phone Use
1. Use a low-radiation phone (lowest possible SAR value): EWG provides a list at http://www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation
2. Use a phone when on a 3G (not an E) network.
3. Use speakerphone or an air tube head set and hold the phone away from your body. Do not use a wireless earpiece.
4. Send texts instead of calling.
5. Keep call time to a minimum.
6. Keep cell phone away from your body when on and not in use.
7. Make and take calls only if the signal is strong.
8. Limit children’s use – such as in emergencies only.
9. Use a landline instead of a cell phone whenever possible.
10. Turn your cell phone off when you're not using it to make or receive calls and/or texts.
11. Get a pager to alert you of calls.
Comments
Good communicator, Dr Sinatra, but why say so many inconsistent or problematic things? Don't tell people they need their phones. Don't give the impression that their is such a thing as a "healthy" mobile phone. Don't focus only on heart & head. Don't mislead people into thinking texting is innocuous. There are so many factors.
Use your personability to encourage people to get that they CAN reform behaviour much further than you suggest. Don't treat people as less than able to handle the real bad news. Good for you to mention the cell infrastructure -- but don't you know, that these constant "low" exposures can be the worst of all, ethically & for health, or rather, death? Seen no studies?
How is partial awareness curative?
How does it undo the lies underlying the
whole business? Worried about contributing to public panic? The only ones who will panic at telling the whole truth, are those who perpetrate & abet the wireless travesty set upon us. It's time prominent people speak up consistently and unequivocally, and not let on that dangerous half-measures are adequate, morally or for health.
Please see info on our web site
www.wiredchild.org
That is why we are asking for WiFi to be removed from schools