First it was the Droid.
Then the Eris and Nexus One.
Now its the Palm Pre Plus.
My 16 year old’s cell phone plan expires soon. So, of course, he has been thinking about a new phone, a 3G smartphone, that will make his life even more connected.
The iPhone from Apple would be his first choice, but we don’t have a account with AT&T.
I have to admit that I have qualms about a high school student carrying one of these expensive smartphones to school. So easy to steal. So easy to break.
Even the “free” phones have special features. The cell phone carriers love these new phones because they sell ring tones, games and other applications and services with the phone.
But, an even more important consideration is . . . how much radiation?
Sure enough, many of these hot new phones are literally “hot” in terms of the electromagnetic radiation they emit. Your cell phone uses frequency ranges similar to your microwave only at much lower power.
Are Cell Phones Dangerous?
Up until recently, studies done about the health hazards of cell phone radiation exposure were inconclusive. Studies completed in the past year, though, are showing a more clear cut picture. Cell phone radiation is linked to two types of brain tumors, salivary gland tumors, behavioral problems in young children, and migraines and vertigo in adults.
The core factor appears to be high use over a long period (ten years or more) of time. That means that our teens are more at risk because they start using cell phones at an early age and will, most likely, continue using them all their adult lives.
Getting your teen to give up using a cell phone is likely to cause a major upheaval in your household. To tell you the truth, I refuse to give mine up, too. It keeps my schedule, receives my email and texts, hold ebooks for reading and turns into a calculator when I need one. Oh, and I can make phone calls on it.
So the better alternative is to limit exposure. Here are 3 safety tips for limiting cell phone radiation exposure:
1. Buy a low radiation phone–Here is the Environmental Working Group’s list now updated to include the latest phones. The good news is that some smartphones emit low levels of radiation. But, not all. It’s important to verify that your new phone has lower emissions.
2. Put some distance between you and the phone. Use a headset or the speaker. Headsets use less radiation. Some wireless headsets emit low levels of radiation continuously, so take the headset off when not in use. And, hold the phone out away from you while using the headset rather than leaving it in your pocket or on your belt. Also, find out where the antenna is on the phone by reading the manual. Point the antenna away from you when you use the phone.
3. Text rather than talk. Our family has adopted this idea. Sending a text message uses less power than talking on the phone and keeps the phone farther away from your body.
More safety tips are available on the Environmental Working Group website at this link.
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© 2010 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. I did not receive any compensation from the websites mentioned in this article. Some of the links on this website connect to affiliate programs that provide a small commission (books from Amazon, for example.) Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use my Contact form) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.
