ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
EWG's Top 10 Good Environmental News Stories of 2010
EWG's Worst Environmental Stories of 2010
French law informs, protects cell phone users
Hexavalent Chromium: 11 Answers for Water Drinkers
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« Hexavalent Chromium: 11 Answers for Water Drinkers | Main | EWG's Worst Environmental Stories of 2010 »
French law informs, protects cell phone users
By Olga Naidenko, PhD, EWG Senior Scientist
France will soon become the first nation anywhere to require merchants to inform consumers of the radiation levels of cell phones at the point of sale.
The new French cell phone statute, part of a sweeping legislative package called the National Engagement for the Environment, was approved by the French parliament July 12, 2010 and is set to take effect in April 2011.
France's Law Requires SAR Posting, Headsets, and Protects Kids
It requires French electronics stores and other cell phone vendors to post each device's Specific Absorption Rate (or SAR), the standard measure of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the human body.
France's statute requires merchants to display SAR numbers in legible French to give consumers easy access to radiation information for different models (see example, below). It will allow cell phone shoppers looking for a low-SAR model to make on-the-spot comparisons in stores, instead of having to research various models on the Internet, with tools such as Environmental Working Group's cell phone shopping guide.
The French law also requires that all cell phones be sold with a headset, bans cell phone ads aimed at children and adolescents younger than 14 and bars the sale of phones specifically made for kids younger than 6.
Caution and More Research Recommended
Health agencies around the world agree that more research is needed to clarify the potential for health hazards associated with cell phone radiation exposure. Yet because recent studies suggest a link between head and neck tumors and long-term cell phone use, the Swiss, German and British governments all recommend that cell phone users buy low-radiation phones. These and other governments advise other precautionary steps as well, such as wearing headsets and texting instead of talking. [Read EWG's tips on reducing cell phone radiation exposure.]
The US Cell Phone Industry Opposes Posting SAR Values
The U.S. cell phone industry adamantly opposes posting SAR values on the grounds that displaying the numbers creates "the false impression ... that some phones are 'safer' than others based on their radiofrequency (RF) emissions."
By contrast, the French telecommunications industry, represented by the Association Française des Opérateurs Mobiles (AFOM), has begun publishing phones' SAR values in its journals and brochures and on its website.
SAR value shown with Sony Ericsson phone, Swiss store.
In response to concerns from Swiss regulators and Swiss consumer protection groups about cell phone radiation, many manufacturers and cell phone retail shops in Switzerland opted to post SAR values voluntarily either on their devices' labels or on posters in stores (see example, above right).
Good News: U.S. City Requires Point-of-Sale SAR Values
In the U.S., the city of San Francisco this year became the first municipality to require disclosure of cell phone radiation levels at the point of sale. Lawmakers in Berkeley and Burlingame, Calif., and in Philadelphia are exploring similar right-to-know ordinances.
Resources about the French Law:
- Press statement from the Minister of Health and Sports, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, on the posting of SAR for mobile phones, October 15, 2010
- Text of the new French ordinance on SAR disclosure at the point of sale
- Roundtable "Radiofrequencies, Health, and the Environment"
- Statement from AFOM, Association française des opérateurs mobiles, on steps to reduce radiation exposure
- News from Switzerland: "Growing radiation from cell phones"
Leave a comment