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« Healthy Home Tip 4: Pick plastics carefully | Main | NBC Nightly News talks cell phone radiation »
Limit your exposure to cell phone radiation
Yet, many of us are, well, addicted. And some of us no longer have a land line at home. My kids call their grandparents to chat on mine in the backseat of the car all. the. time. (it's free! it's convenient! it promotes family happiness!)
But is it all OK?
EWG is troubled by the existing science
We, too, wondered whether cell phone radiation and the changing ways we use them is safe, so we analyzed the possible public health risks.
We recently completed a 10-month investigation of more than 200 peer-reviewed studies, government advisories and industry documents to reach our conclusion. Report author Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG Senior Scientist, sums it up this way:
"We would like to be able to say that cell phones are safe, but we can't. The most recent science, while not conclusive, raises serious issues about the cancer risk of cell phone use that must be addressed through further research. In the meantime, consumers can take steps to reduce exposure."
EWG's top tips to reduce your radiation exposure
As usual, we've paired it all down to a manageable number of tips that top our to-do list for using cell phones more safely.
Our top tip? Buy a low-radiation phone. And yes, they are different. Download EWG's guide to reduce cell phone radiation exposure to get useful links and the reasoning behind each.
Protect your family, then take action to protect everyone
Current U.S. cell phone radiation standards, set by U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and based largely on 1992 cell phone industry recommendations, are outdated and allow 20 times more radiation to penetrate the head than the rest of the body.
Health agencies in six nations -- Switzerland, Germany, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, and Finland -- have issued warnings to limit cell phone use, particularly by children, whose softer, thinner skulls are less able to shield the brain from radiation. Scientists have found that children's brains absorb twice as much cell phone radiation as those of adults.
EWG urges the FCC to upgrade its standards to take account of the newest scientific evidence and also increasing cell phone use by children. Help us send the FCC a strong message that it's time to update its standards. It is 2009, folks.
Got questions? We've got answers.
We've thoroughly answered 14 of the most common and important questions people have about cell phone radiation. In our FAQ, you'll find answers to questions like these:
- Are cell phones safe for children?
- Do cell phones cause cancer?
- Does cell phone radiation affect sperm count?
Embed EWG's search widget for finding low-radiation phones
You (and your readers if you're a blogger) can easily search for low-radiation phones - and see how yours measures up - on our free, online searchable database. Grab the embed code from Widgetbox.
Another new way to be protected is clothing - there are pieces of clothing for pregnant women which protect against radiation. One of the companies producing such clothing is german Anita. http://www.anita.com/de-en/Products,Anita_maternity,Pregnancy,Radiation_protection
The latest data shows higher incidences of learning disabilities in children whose mothers use cellphones .The incidence rose with frequency of use. I think its time the government erred on the side of caution and issued warnings. We all pay in our taxes, the cost of special education to teach learning disabled kids.
Along with their learning disabilities, many children also have emotional problems from the brain damage that causes the learning disabilities.We all end up paying the social costs as well. Anti social behaviors (bullying,lying,stealing), poor judgement,poor impulse control and compulsive behaviors are common.The incidence of neurological damage in children in the USA from all causes ,is rapidly on the rise --with many children now being BORN with brain damage!
Wake up and smell the UH??? whats that stuff called!!?? Instead of building more jails-lets protect our kids brains!