|
Cell Phones, Kids, and
Radiation Part 1
Cell Tower
Life Bluetube Headsets
Cell Phone Towers Health Effects
EM Field Meter
Cell Phone Sensitivity
by Deborah Bohn
Cell phone radiation concerns come and go, right? But can we
afford to be so nonchalant when the long-term stats aren’t
yet in for our children?
Global Warning?
Three years ago: The European Environment Agency said, Cell
phone technology could lead to a health crisis similar to
those caused by asbestos, smoking and lead.
2008: As reported in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the
Ministry of Health suggested parents postpone or restrict
children's use of cell phones and make sure they use wired,
not wireless, headsets. Officials were particularly
concerned about children’s use of cell phones, due to their
heightened risk for developing tumors as a result of
exposure to radiation, and because children can expect many
more years of cell-phone use in comparison to adults.
2009: The French Education Ministry banned the use of cell
phones in primary schools and required manufacturers to make
models that only allow texting.
Today: The Austrian Medical Association is trying to get
Wi-Fi systems banned from schools to protect children from
the potential long-term consequences of radiation. In
Canada, the official government stance is for teenagers to
keep calls shorter than 10 minutes; Russian scientists
suggest banning cell phones for anyone younger than 18 the
British government says parents shouldn’t let children
younger than 16 use a mobile phone.
MY 9-year-old daughter wants a cell phone. Very, very badly.
In the fourth grade a cell phone makes you cool. It’s a
status symbol. A one-way ticket to popularity. A number of
her elementary school friends have their own phones, and
they’re not alone. Right now about 22 percent of young
children (ages 6 - 9) carry cell phones and 60 percent of
older kids (ages 10 - 14) own a phone. Market research by
the Yankee Group shows that more than half of kids ages 8 -
12 will have a cell phone in the next three years. Alas, my
young one won’t be one of the lucky ones for a few more
years.
Why? One reason is because we’re part of a dying breed of
old-fashioned parents who believe privileges should come
with responsibilities. That means if you want to chat on a
cell, you’ll need to pay for it with money earned
babysitting, mowing lawns or walking dogs. We’re also
hesitant because we’ve already seen our daughter's peers use
their cell phones to make crank calls, send inappropriate
texts and make secretive calls to so-called boyfriends, then
lie to their parents about it.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that
nearly half of young cell phone users lie about their
location and about the identity of the person on the other
end of the line. But money and sexting pale in comparison to
the big worry. Cancer.
Mounting Evidence
A rapidly growing and increasingly vocal group of
physicians, scientists and legislators in the United States
and around the world believe that radio-frequency (RF)
radiation emitted by cellular phones can greatly increase
your risk of developing cancer, specifically cancer of the
salivary glands and brain. They cite studies showing that
individuals who have used cell phones for more than a decade
have double the risk of developing a deadly form of brain
cancer called glioma.
Interestingly, the tumors show up on the side of the head
where the victims hold their phones. Since children have
thinner skulls and absorb far more radiation than adults,
these physicians say they are particularly vulnerable to its
damaging affects. What’s really worrisome for scientists
studying this problem is that most adults have only been
heavy cell phone users (defined by a person who uses a cell
for 30 minutes a day) for the last few years, while a child
who gets a cell phone this year will rack up 15 years of
cell phone use by the time they’re only 25.
The environmental health expert leading the call to action
is epidemiologist and toxicologist Devra Davis, Ph.D., MPH.
Author of The Secret History of the War on Cancer (Basic
Books; $12.89 on Amazon), a Newsweek magazine pick, and of
the recently published Disconnect: The Truth About Cell
Phone Radiation (Dutton; $16.89 on Amazon), a Time magazine
top pick of 2010, Davis says, Cell phones aren’t going away.
But unless we change the way we use them, we could see a
global epidemic of brain cancer in 20 years.
That’s a scary thought. So frightening that Senator Arlen
Spector (D-PA), a brain tumor survivor, held congressional
hearings a little over a year ago to investigate the issue.
Six months ago, Maine State Representative Andrea Boland
submitted a bill that would require a warning label on cell
phones sold in her state reading, This device emits
electromagnetic radiation - exposure which may cause brain
cancer. Users especially children and pregnant women should
keep the device away from the head and body. Six months ago,
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom pushed for similar
warnings, and the city’s Board of Supervisors voted to
require companies to print each cellular device’s SAR
(specific absorption rate) radiation rating on the package
right next to the price.
Reality Check
Perhaps it’s time to actually read the fine print. Phone
manufacturers are putting radiation warnings on the devices
they sell now. For example, Apple’s iPhone safety manual
includes: When using iPhone near your body for voice calls
or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network,
keep iPhone at least 5/8 inch away from the body.
Research in Motion’s BlackBerry 9000 warns users against
carrying their phones within .98 inches of their body. The
Motorola W180 manual states, If you do not use a body-worn
accessory supplied or approved by Motorola ” or if you hang
your mobile device from a lanyard around your neck ” keep
the mobile device and its antenna at least one inch from
your body when transmitting.
When using any data feature of the mobile device, with or
without an accessory cable, position the mobile device and
its antenna at least 2.5 centimeters (one inch) from your
body.
Who does that? And why are so many people concerned?
Cell phones communicate through waves of RF radiation. This
type of energy isn’t as strong as X-rays, but at high
levels, RF waves can heat up body tissues. That’s how a
microwave oven cooks food. Davis explains, The microwave and
the cell phone use the same frequency. While the microwave
uses 1,000 watts of power and the cell uses less than 1
watt, we only use the microwave for a few minutes a day and
we don’t hold it next to our heads. We use a phone for hours
each day, year after year after year.
She and other scientists compare the risks to smoking. One
cigarette won’t kill you. But the cumulative effect of
exposing your lungs to carcinogens over the course of 20
years can be deadly. Brain cancer can take 40 years to
develop. We protect our children with seat belts and bike
helmets, so we have to think of all the ways to protect
their brains, Davis says.
Cell Phones, Kids, and Radiation Part
2
Arvada, Colorado
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Lesotho, Maseru,
Syracuse, New York
Peru, Lima, City
West Jordan, Utah
Guatemala, Guatemala City,
Rochester, New York
Rancho Cucamonga California USA
United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
http://www.emfnews.org/store |
