New warnings on risk of cell phone radiation

New warnings on risk of cell phone radiation

Cell phone users (and that includes 95% of us) beware – California health officials are sounding the alarm on cell phone radiation.  This is not the first (or last) time we have been warned about frequent cellphone use possibly causing health conditions from radiation emitting from these devices. 

New guidelines issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) stated they have concerns of the impact on human health and the long-term high use of cellphones. 

Why would using a cellphone be potentially dangerous?  There are legitimate concerns surrounding their usage.  When cellphones send and receive signals from cell towers, they emit radio frequency energy which may impact our health.  Of particular concern was the affect cell phone usage has on brain development in young children and teenagers, who are high use consumers of these electronic devices.  The average age when children get their first cellphone is just 10 years old. It is very common for a majority of young people to keep their phones on or near them most of the day and while they sleep.

Even though science is still evolving on just if and how cellphone use impacts our health, there have been previous studies pointing to their potential danger.  One such study was a 2016 report  from The National Toxicology Program, which looked at the effect of cell phone radiation on rats and did find a link between cellphone use and an increase in tumors of the brain and heart.

Cell phone use in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent years.  It is estimated around 95% of Americans own a cell phone and 12% rely on their smartphones for everyday Internet access. 

The CDPH has issued new guidelines advising the public on how to limit their exposure from radiation from the cellphones.  No one is saying you have to get rid of your cellphones and no one would expect that as cellphones are now a ubiquitous part of our daily lives.  But there are certain practices we all can adopt to block and reduce radio frequency energy emitted from cellphones lowering the possibility of health concerns.

Here are the new guidelines from the CDPH on how to reduce exposure to radio frequency energy from cellphones:

·      Keep your cellphone away from your body – try to not carry it on your body the majority of the time

·      Reduce cellphone use when the signal is weak

·      Reduce the use of cell phones to stream audio or video, or to download or upload large files

·      Keep the phone away from the bed at night – if it must be in the same room, keep it at least an arm lengths distance away from you

·      Use the speaker phone feature instead of having the phone pressed against your head for long periods of time

·      Remove headsets when not on a call

·      Avoid products claiming to block radio frequency energy.  These products may actually increase your exposure.