Health Dangers of Cell Phones

I’ll admit, when we first began our journey to more complete health, I wasn’t shocked to hear that real food and nutrition had a lot to do with a properly functioning body and mind. It made sense to me that the food I put on my body had major effects on how I looked and felt. What did surprise me, however, is how many modern conveniences I never really thought abut, like food dyes, feminine products, and alarm clocks, had hefty (and not-so-desirable) consequences on my health, too. And while the aforementioned items are fairly avoidable with equal and better alternatives, the health dangers of cell phones were something that left my feeling like my hands were tied. I know several people are able to unplug from cell phones for life, that just was not feasible for my family. So I had to find ways to inhibit the negative effects of cell phones on our health.

“The City of Berkeley California has adopted the nation’s first cell phone “right to know” law requiring cellphone retailers to include a city-prepared health warning with each cellphone purchase.

These cell phone health warnings will take effect July of 2015 barring a legal challenge by the Cellular Telephone Industries Association (CTIA). The law will state:

If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF [radio frequency] radiation. This potential risk is greater for children. Refer to the instructions in your phone or user manual for information about how to use your phone safely.

How many of us are even aware that the Federal Communications Commission has guidelines for RF radiation? These guidelines are given in terms of a unit referred to as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which is a measure of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone. According to the FCC,

The FCC requires cell phone manufacturers to ensure that their phones comply with these objective limits for safe exposure. Any cell phone at or below these SAR levels (that is, any phone legally sold in the U.S.) is a “safe” phone, as measured by these standards. The FCC limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg).

Your phone’s SAR value should be available through your manufacturer or your carrier, or you can find it through the FCC website.

(Learn more in the document Questions and Answers About Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields.)

When it comes to the above health warning, the CTIA contends the wording is alarmist as it would “cause consumers to take away the message that cell phones are dangerous and can cause breast, testicular, or other cancers.””