Monday July 28, 2008
Dial C For Cancer:
Cancer Expert Says Put That Mobile Down
by Simon Magus
A cancer expert is advising people to minimise their use of mobiles phones as it may elevate their risk of developing brain tumours -- with young children as the most vulnerable of all.
Dr Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued an advisory notice to his own staff and faculty that warns them to only use their phones when absolutely necessary.
"Electromagnetic fields generated by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk," reads the report.
"Sufficient time has not elapsed in order for us to have conclusive data on the biological effects of cell phones and other cordless phones -- a technology that is now universal."
Although the link between mobile phones and cancer is still contentious, Dr Herberman is taking a precautionary approach.
"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," he said.
The advisory contains diagrams showing how electromagnetic fields penetrate the brain when a mobile phone is being used -- with penetration levels much greater for the young.
Dr Herberman's advisory was issued with the active encouragement of Dr Devra Lee Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh.
"The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain," said Dr Davis.
"I don't know that cell phones are dangerous."
"But I don't know that they are safe."
Dr Herberman has issued the following advice to minimise the health effects of mobile phones:
Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The developing organs of a foetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two inches and fifty times lower at three feet. Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also reduce exposures.
Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can passively expose others to your phone's electromagnetic fields.
Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table, particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on “flight” or “off-line” mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather than through you.
Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure.
For longer conversations, use a land line with a corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting technology similar to that of cell phones.
Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your exposure.
Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call, limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.
Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers are available by searching for “sar ratings cell phones” on the internet.
Posted in: Health by bubblejam at 03:55 PM | Comments (0) | Email This Entry