Did you know that the Federal Communication Commission recommends you always keep your cellphone at least five to 25 millimeters away from yourself in order to limit the amount of radio frequency (RF) exposure?
We didn’t either.
This means if you carry your phone in your pants or shirt pocket—or bras, for women—you could be exposing yourself to harmful amounts of RF radiation. The city council in Berkeley, Calif. just approved the “right to know” proposal that requires a health warning with each cellphone purchase, the first-of-it’s-kind safety ordinance in the country. The jury’s still out on whether or not other cities nationwide will follow suit, but here’s what we think you should know:
- Holsters and belt clips, though dated, are safer. The FCC radiation guidelines were established back in 1996 and it was assumed then that users would carry their cellphones in a holster or belt clip, which was common practice at the time. But these days, we tend to keep phones in pockets, which means we could be exposing ourselves to 2 to 7 times more radiation.
- Farther is better. The FCC also suggests using a speakerphone, earpiece or headset, or texting rather than talking.
- There is no long-term evidence. While some scientists have explored possible links between cellphones and autism, infertility, brain tumors and other cancers, the consensus among major health organizations in the U.S. is that no harmful health effects have been proven.
- However, a recent case study showed that four women under the age of 40, who had been diagnosed with multifocal invasive breast cancer, routinely stored their cellphones in their bras. One woman’s malignant tumor on her left breast was exactly the size and shape of the length and width of her cellphone!
ForMen takeaway: Even though larger studies over a longer period of time are needed to fully understand the effects of long-term exposure to cellphone radiation, we should still be aware of the information that is out there and be able to make our own educated decisions.
Relevant source:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cellphone-safety-right-to-know/
Curated from CBS News
