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"

Environmental Working Group examined the radiation output (known as the Specific Absorption Rate or "SAR") and overall features of 80 new smart phones. Many higher-functioning phone emit no more radiofrequency radiation than old-school cell phones.

LG Quantum

Samsung Fascinate

Samsung Mezmerize

Samsung Captivate

Samsung Continuum

By Olga Naidenko, PhD, EWG Senior Scientist

Battle lines are being drawn. Alliances formed. And as the cell phone industry wages war against San Francisco over its cell phone-labeling ordinance, many are looking east to see if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will support or hinder consumers' right to know information about cell phone radiation levels.

When Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law the Cell Phone Right-to-Know Ordinance in July, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require retailers to display at the point-of-sale cell phones' radiation, as expressed by Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), the industry standard measure of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body of a person using a cell phone.

Surprise! The cell phone industry doesn't love the new law
CTIA - The Wireless Association filed a lawsuit against San Francisco seeking a federal judicial order to bar the city from enforcing the law. The trade group also announced shortly after the ordinance passed that after its annual convention in San Francisco next month, it would seek a new (presumably less consumer-friendly) venue for its meetings "for the foreseeable future." Punishment by money, pure and simple.

FCC follows industry's playbook
Last week, in a suspicious coincidence - or is it a coincidence? - FCC overhauled its website to downplay the health risks of cell phone emissions. It did so the very same day citizens in nearby Burlingame met to debate a right-to-know ordinance similar to San Francisco's, and the same week San Francisco officials publicly released information about their plans to carry out the new ordinance. Meanwhile, local governments in Arcata, California and Portland, Oregon were considering measures similar to the San Franciso law.

The FCC's altered webpage, produced under the aegis of the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, essentially copies and pastes the industry position. It is full of internal inconsistencies and at odds with latest research on cell phone radiation. See for yourself in EWG's detailed critique of the FCC's new website.

The revised FCC website devotes considerable space to casting doubt on the usefulness of comparing maximum SAR values for determining potential health risks for consumers. Yet this exercise raises a pointed question: if the FCC is not sure that SAR tests are effective for determining health risks, how can the agency say with confidence that cell phones are safe?

It comes down to this: the FCC is following the industry's rulebook. If the agency has doubts about SAR values, then it should overhaul its testing rules and come up with a better way of measuring cell phone radiation exposure. In the meantime, the FCC must remember who's paying its bills - the U.S. taxpayers (that's you!) - and defend the consumer's right to know about the products on American store shelves.

To get to the bottom of this, EWG filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking copies of all FCC records relating to the development and drafting of the FCC's revised "Wireless Devices and Health Concerns" page and its new page, entitled "SAR for Cell Phones: What It Means for You." So stay tuned.

You can download our 9.29.10 FOIA request here: EWG 9.29.10 FOIA request to FCC re SAR Consumer Information.pdf

When we released our cell phone radiation report in Fall 2009, we heightened a national conversation about the issue. Our consumer database is helping people choose lower-radiation phones and our 8 tips for using phones more safely are helping us stay connected with less radiation.

CNN's 5-minute segment is an excellent overview of the problem, and an indication that people are paying more attention to this important health issue. Watch it for yourself, then start talking safer.

By Bill Walker, Senior Advisor to EWG

Curious about how much radiation is coming from your iPhone? Sorry, there's no app for that.

What if the phone ITSELF measured radiation exposure?
An Israeli tech startup called Tawkon has developed a mobile application that estimates the level of radiation emitted from cell phones, which a growing body of research - though not definitive - suggests may be a health risk, especially for children. But when Tawkon submitted it for approval as an iPhone app, Apple turned it down.

Tawkon's co-founder told The Washington Post that Apple praised the app's interface but has rejected it because "supplying information about radiation levels . . . could cause user confusion." Environmental Working Group, which recently published a guide to cell phone radiation , says Apple's reasoning is backward.

"Providing consumers information about radiation levels will clear up confusion," says Renee Sharp, EWG's California director. "As it is now, most consumers don't know that radiation levels vary from phone to phone or depending on how and where you're using the phone - information we think they have a right to know.

People like to talk about Apple's app approval process
"Apple's made billions of dollars on making information available at your fingertips, and now they're afraid to let iPhone users learn about radiation? That's not 'insanely great,' just insane."

Tech bloggers were quick to call Apple on its retreat from transparency, with GoingCellular.com writing that Tawkon "is a tool, not an alarmist, panic-inducing threat. To treat it as such [will] make people wonder why Apple doesn't want iPhone users to know about the radiation they're subjecting themselves to."

Get a low-radiation phone and follow EWG's 8 safety tips
EWG's user-friendly interactive cell phone radiation guide (featured this week in TIME ) covers more than 1,000 phones now on the market. According to data from the Federal Communications Commission, radiation levels from the iPhone 3G S rank in the middle of the pack among the newest, most highly rated smart phones.

But the FCC data is hard to find. That's why EWG is backing legislation proposed in California and the City of San Francisco to require disclosure of cell phones' radiation level at the point of sale, so that consumers can make a more informed choice. Unlike legislation under consideration in Maine, which calls for warning labels on cellphones, the California bills would simply require disclosure of radiation levels.

The skinny on cell phone radiation
Cell phones emit radiofrequency radiation when sending and receiving voice and text messages. Scientists around the world are conducting studies to address the outstanding questions on human health effects of radiofrequency radiation. Although the jury is still out, recent studies suggest increased risk for brain tumors among people who have used cell phones for 10 years or longer.

Tawkon, which will still be marketed for other smart phones, seems particularly useful, because if used before a call it estimates the amount of radiation based on distance from an antenna and other factors.

EWG recommends that users avoid calling from spots with poor reception, which increases the radiation output. Other safety tips include using a safe headset, holding the phone away from your head and body, and texting rather than talking.

Thanks to Flickr CC & Tony Buser for the iPhone.

Among the flood of new smart phones, the Motorola Droid, Blackberry Bold, and Google Nexus One rate high marks from tech reviewers for performance and features. But the reviews and ads don't mention that these phones also emit relatively high levels of radiation, compared to federal safety standards.

How can you tell your phone's radiation level?
Not by looking at your phone, that's for sure. But EWG's new consumer guide - and newly introduced state legislation - aim to protect consumers' right to know:

• In mid-February, EWG released our latest guide to cell phone radiation levels, focusing on the newest, most highly touted smart phones to hit the market in recent months. (For example, the radiation level of Apple's newest iPhone ranks in the middle of the pack.)
• The consumer guide's update coincides with introduction by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) of legislation, sponsored by EWG, requiring cell phones and wireless headsets sold in California to disclose the amount of radiation they emit to the head and to the body on the box and at the point of sale.

Legislation is pending in California, Maine & San Francisco
Unlike legislation pending in Maine, which would require a safety warning to be placed on all cell phones, the CA bill only calls for disclosure of the phone's radiation level. In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom has introduced legislation similar to Leno's, requiring retailers to list each phone's radiation level anywhere the price and other features are listed.

This information is currently not required to be disclosed to the public in any fashion, is not displayed at the point of sale, and is only available (other than in EWG's guide) through a tedious and complicated search of a Federal Communications Commission database.

The California bill's sponsor, state senator Mark Leno, says consumers have a right to know:

"As the use of cell phones has increased exponentially across the globe, so have concerns about the safety of cell phone radiation.

While more research still needs to be done on the risks of long-term cell phone use for both adults and children, consumers have a right to know how much radiation their cell phones emit."

The science, other countries, and kids
Recent scientific studies have found links between heavy cell phone use and brain and salivary gland tumors. Health agencies in six nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, have issued warnings to limit cell phone use - particularly by children, whose softer, thinner skulls are less able to shield the brain from radiation.

EWG's senior vice president for research, Jane Houlihan, thinks American consumers should have the information they need to make informed purchases:

"A number of health agencies around the world advise people to reduce exposures to cell phone radiation, driven by recent studies raising questions about the safety of this radiation, particularly for children.

That's why it's essential for consumers to have radiation output information before they purchase phones for themselves and their families."

Scientists have found that children's brains absorb twice as much cell phone radiation as those of adults.

"The first cell phones were marketed to adults," said Renee Sharp, director of EWG's California office. "But today, children are just as likely to own a cell phone as a video game, baseball or bicycle."

Talk safer - Get the guide
In addition to our updated searchable database of phones, EWG's cell phone radiation guide offers practical safety tips for reducing your exposure to cell phone radiation, including using a safe handset, texting instead of talking, and using the phone only in an area with good reception.

Last September, EWG released a Cell Phone Radiation Science Review and a first-of-its-kind database showing the radiation levels of thousands of cell phones. The response was huge - not surprising, given how increasingly attached we are to our phones.

The report is chock-full of information, but we know that not everyone has time to sit down and read it all, so we created a cell phone radiation series here on Enviroblog to break it down into more manageable chunks. Here it is, all in one place for easy perusing:

• Part 1: The Science - The basic facts on what cell phone radiation is and what current research says about its effects on your health


• Part 2: 8 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure - We're not telling you to give up your cell phone (like you would). Instead, use these easy tips on how to reduce the amount of radiation coming from your phone.


• Part 3: Who's Protecting You? - Shouldn't products on the market be safe? Learn what the government currently is doing to regulate cell phones, and what they should be doing.


• Part 4: What Phones Emit, Bodies Absorb - The specific absorption rate, or SAR value, measures how much radiation your body absorbs. We break down the factors that influence SAR (how you use the phone, where you use the phone, what kind of phone you have), so you know how to minimize what goes into your body.


• Part 5: Buy smart - One way to reduce your exposure to radiation is by using a phone that has low SAR values to start with. Here's how to find the radiation level of your current phone or one that you're considering buying.

Stay tuned in coming weeks for an update to EWG's cell phone database - we're adding new phones to keep it current. (Hop on our email list to be sure to get the latest news.)