Aren’t cell phones great little gadget? Once just a simple communication device, now with these new smart phones it seems there is not much we can’t do on them. For many of us these gadgets now play such an important part in our everyday lives it's difficult to imagine life without one.
But a recent announcement from the World Health Organisation (WHO) raises the issue that cell phones are possibly carcinogenic. This might seem difficult to comprehend, but let's just look at the facts. Most cell phones operate in the 1900 MHz frequency band. When you dial a telephone number to speak to your buddy your conversation is made possible through the transmission and reception of electromagnetic fields or electromagnetic radiation (EMR).
But not only when you are having a conversation, even when your cell phone is switched on it is still emitting and receiving EMR. We are electromagnetic beings; our bodies use small electrical currents to enable communication between our body parts and make our muscles work. More than 2000 studies point to the adverse health consequences of EMR.
So what's to be done? Should you stop using your cell phone? You might not want to go that far, but it's a good idea to get wise on this issue and at least try and cut down your exposure to this potentially harmful radiation.
Here are some cell phone do’s:
- Use your cell phone only when you really need to, and when you do use it keep the length of your calls to a minimum. Studies show that the biological effects of cell phone radiation are directly related to exposure time.
- Prefer texting to voice communication. Texting enables you to communicate without holding the cell phone next to your most vulnerable organ, your brain. If you really don't like texting, use a speakerphone.
- Pay attention to the signal bars on your display and makes calls only when you have good reception. The more bars that are showing the better the reception and the less radiation your phone has to emit for the conversation to take place.
- Look at the SAR rating when buying your cell phone. In San Francisco a law has been passed stating that the SAR should be shown on the packaging, so that consumers are aware of the radiation levels before they buy their telephone. You can find the SAR level in the user manual or on the manufacturer's website.
- When you make a call do not put your cell phone next your ear until your correspondent has picked up the call. When your phone rings, press on the accept call button but wait a few seconds before putting the phone against your ear. Radiation levels are highest at the beginning of a call.
- Do not use your cell phone whilst travelling. True, if you use it whilst driving then you can inadvertently drive off the road, but even using it in public transport is inadvisable. In a moving vehicle your cell phone is constantly scanning for contact and so radiation levels are much higher than if you were stationary.
- Do not sleep with a cell phone is switched on at night. Your body needs quality downtime to recover. When you sleep the recovery process is made possible by the release of hormones. It is believed that cell phone radiation perturbs the release of these hormones, not only upsetting your sleep pattern but also attacking your immune system.
- Keep your cell phone use to a minimum when you are feeling tired and run down. Think of cell phone radiation as a toxin just like any other toxin. If you're feeling under the weather, the radiation can make you feel more tired and weaken your organism further.