According to recent health guidelines released by the California Department Of Health, using your Smartphone to text can be safer than making calls. The guidelines warned to avoid putting mobile phones near the head and body to prevent illnesses.
“Although the science is still evolving, some laboratory experiments and human health studies have suggested the possibility that typical long-term cell phone use could be linked to brain cancer and tumours of the acoustic nerve, lower sperm counts, and effects on learning and memory.” The department of health said.
Radiation, which is emitted from mobile phones, can cause long-term impacts. Most Smartphone devices provide details about the radiation they emit in Radio-frequency energy. Smartphone companies also advise their customers to carry their phones away from their bodies, with the manual for iPhone 5 saying it should be carried a whole 10 millimetres away from the body at all times.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tests all mobile phones in the market for compliance. However, the rule is designed only to prevent harm from excess heat generated by RF waves and doesn’t consider other potential biological effects, like DNA damage or altered protein expression.
“Although the science is still evolving, some laboratory experiments and human health studies have suggested the possibility that typical long-term cell phone use could be linked to brain cancer and tumors of the acoustic nerve, lower sperm counts, and effects on learning and memory.”
California Department Of Health
While there are regulations that determine the radiation levels of cell phones, it is also not possible to ascertain the RF levels of older phones. Tests that are conducted to determine the RF levels of a Smartphone show that RF energy increases when the phone is in contact with your body.
Since there has been talk surrounding RF radiation and cancer, the topic has become an international interest. In 2011, a World Health Organization report classified radiation from cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. It said that cell phone usage could correlate with an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer.
According to the California health dept’s guidelines, keeping your phone away from your body is the best way to deal with the issue. The procedures include precautions that should be taken to limit radiation exposure.
- Keeping your phone a few feet away can make a big difference
- Avoid holding up your phone to your head; use the speakerphone or headset instead (Wireless headsets emit lower RF energy than the Smartphone)
- Send text messages instead of making phone calls
- If you are using the internet to stream something or download files, keep your phone away from your body.
- Don’t carry your phone in your pocket, bra or belt. Instead, carry it in a backpack, purse, briefcase or bag.
- Don’t sleep with your phone in your bed or near your head. Always keep it a few feet away from your bed.
- Don’t have your headset on if you aren’t using it.
- Watch movies or listen to music on your phone in aeroplane mode to avoid RF exposure.
- Don’t buy products that promise to block RF energy or are ‘radiation shields’. They could make the phone’s signal work harder and thus emit more RF energy.
The guidelines also said it could be a good idea to use aeroplane mode when service is wrong to avoid having your phone emit higher radiation levels. Smartphones don’t emit any RF energy in aeroplane mode.
RF energy is also more harmful to children when compared with adults and can reach a more significant part of a child’s brain than an adult’s. Children who began using mobile phones at a young age are likely to have many more years of exposure to RF energy.
