Do cell phones emit enough radiation to cause health concerns? Some people seem to think that using them over a long period of time will cause cancerous tumors and other health problems. Others, of course, say that''s a bunch of bologna. Unfortunately, there isn''t a whole lot of research definitively showing whether cell phone radiation can cause harm. Before you throw away your phone, get a better view of the whole story to decide whether these devices are worth worrying about.
A Tumor in the Shape of a Cell Phone Antenna?
Concerns over cell phone radiation first started around 1993, when a man named David Raynard went on Larry King''s show to talk about his wife''s brain cancer. Accord to Raynard, his wife''s cancer came from using a cell phone. Raynard even claimed, somewhat miraculously, that the malignant tumor was in the shape of a cell phone antenna.
A Tumor in the Shape of a Cell Phone Antenna?
Concerns over cell phone radiation first started around 1993, when a man named David Raynard went on Larry King''s show to talk about his wife''s brain cancer. Accord to Raynard, his wife''s cancer came from using a cell phone. Raynard even claimed, somewhat miraculously, that the malignant tumor was in the shape of a cell phone antenna.
It didn''t take long after that interview for everyone in the world to start eyeing their phones with suspicion.
When you hear that excessive cell phone use caused Mrs. Raynard to develop a tumor, it is only natural to start worrying for your own safety, not to mention the safety of children, parents, and other loved ones.
Within little time, though, the Raynard case was thrown out of court for lack of evidence. Apparently the judge wanted a little something called proof. If the woman had an antenna-sized tumor in her head, then he wanted to see an X-ray. No X-rays came forth.
Cancer scares didn''t stop there. The Raynards had just found the tip of something very, very big. Given the lack of evidence, though, it didn''t make sense to bring more trials to court. It doesn''t, however, take a court trial to make money from fear.
Products to "Save" You From Cell Phone Radiation
As cell phones became increasingly popular and affordable in the 90s, more companies started manufacturing items that would block harmful radiation coming from the phone. Don''t want brain cancer? Just use our handy device! Some of the best (or worst, depending on how you want to look at it), include:
Headset Radiation Shield
The AegisGuard Headset Radiation Shield, which "serves as an antenna that absorbs radiation in the air that surrounds every person..." When a cell phone is used, the airborne radiation..." is transferred through the wire or plastic tube connecting the phone and earpiece and penetrates the head directly through the ear canal." Somehow, that doesn''t actually sound better than just letting the phone''s radiation stay near your ear. The point of the products, however, isn''t that it works well. It''s that consumers are scared enough to try them.
LS Radiation Spray-on Shield
Another remarkable product from Aegis Guard. This is a spray-on shield that provides short-term protection from radiation emitted by electronic devices. Let''s see, that would include the lights in your home, your stereo; your watch (unless it''s purely mechanical); your car; central air and heating; your computer; and on and on and on.
SafeSpace Cell Phone Patch
SafeSpace won''t get too specific about how the cell phone patch works, but here''s the company claims that the patch "features a non-electric metal substrate hologram encoded with frequency information that interacts with and influences EMFs, effectively protecting you against their harmful effects."
EarthCalm Quantum Cell
EarthCalm claims that this device "immerses you in the Earth''s electromagnetic field, grounding you into the natural healing field you were meant to live in." So, it not only protects you from your cell phone, it actually improves your health by immersing you in an electromagnetic field.
You Can''t Escape Radiation, But You Have Some Control
It''s a simple fact of life that you must endure: radiation surrounds you. Before anyone freaks out, let''s consider what that actually means. After all, not all types of radiation are bad. In fact, a certain amount is keeping you alive right this very moment.
In our nearby universe, the sun emits more radiation than anything else. Thanks to huge distances and a pretty solid atmosphere, between 1,413 and 1,321 W/m2) reaches the Earth at any given time. What does that mean without the big numbers? It means that the sun''s radiation keeps the Earth warm. Don''t spend all day naked in it or you''ll encounter a few unwanted consequences. Use your head, though, and you''ll realize that this huge radiation-emitter in the sky is keeping everything on our planet alive.
What Else is Radiating?
Yeah, that''s great, the sun sustains life, but what does that mean about cell phones? That''s a god question worth investigating. Let''s look at some other household items and see how they compare.
In the United States, the Motorola Bravo gives off 1.59 SAR (that''s a digital radiation level). It''s the highest. 1.38 SAR, which comes from the outdated RIM BlackBerry Bold 9930 is the lowest. In other words, there isn''t a huge difference between the best and the worst cell phones.
The fact of the matter is that all cell phones fall somewhere between an FM radio and a microwave oven. You get less radiation watching TV for an hour than talking on your phone for an hour, but, then again, you get more radiation driving down the road with your GPS unit turned on.
Let''s take a look at the radiation (in GHz, Gigahertz) created by items that the average person encounters regularly (the amounts are approximate since it varies from device to device):
When you hear that excessive cell phone use caused Mrs. Raynard to develop a tumor, it is only natural to start worrying for your own safety, not to mention the safety of children, parents, and other loved ones.
Within little time, though, the Raynard case was thrown out of court for lack of evidence. Apparently the judge wanted a little something called proof. If the woman had an antenna-sized tumor in her head, then he wanted to see an X-ray. No X-rays came forth.
Cancer scares didn''t stop there. The Raynards had just found the tip of something very, very big. Given the lack of evidence, though, it didn''t make sense to bring more trials to court. It doesn''t, however, take a court trial to make money from fear.
Products to "Save" You From Cell Phone Radiation
As cell phones became increasingly popular and affordable in the 90s, more companies started manufacturing items that would block harmful radiation coming from the phone. Don''t want brain cancer? Just use our handy device! Some of the best (or worst, depending on how you want to look at it), include:
Headset Radiation Shield
The AegisGuard Headset Radiation Shield, which "serves as an antenna that absorbs radiation in the air that surrounds every person..." When a cell phone is used, the airborne radiation..." is transferred through the wire or plastic tube connecting the phone and earpiece and penetrates the head directly through the ear canal." Somehow, that doesn''t actually sound better than just letting the phone''s radiation stay near your ear. The point of the products, however, isn''t that it works well. It''s that consumers are scared enough to try them.
LS Radiation Spray-on Shield
Another remarkable product from Aegis Guard. This is a spray-on shield that provides short-term protection from radiation emitted by electronic devices. Let''s see, that would include the lights in your home, your stereo; your watch (unless it''s purely mechanical); your car; central air and heating; your computer; and on and on and on.
SafeSpace Cell Phone Patch
SafeSpace won''t get too specific about how the cell phone patch works, but here''s the company claims that the patch "features a non-electric metal substrate hologram encoded with frequency information that interacts with and influences EMFs, effectively protecting you against their harmful effects."
EarthCalm Quantum Cell
EarthCalm claims that this device "immerses you in the Earth''s electromagnetic field, grounding you into the natural healing field you were meant to live in." So, it not only protects you from your cell phone, it actually improves your health by immersing you in an electromagnetic field.
You Can''t Escape Radiation, But You Have Some Control
It''s a simple fact of life that you must endure: radiation surrounds you. Before anyone freaks out, let''s consider what that actually means. After all, not all types of radiation are bad. In fact, a certain amount is keeping you alive right this very moment.
In our nearby universe, the sun emits more radiation than anything else. Thanks to huge distances and a pretty solid atmosphere, between 1,413 and 1,321 W/m2) reaches the Earth at any given time. What does that mean without the big numbers? It means that the sun''s radiation keeps the Earth warm. Don''t spend all day naked in it or you''ll encounter a few unwanted consequences. Use your head, though, and you''ll realize that this huge radiation-emitter in the sky is keeping everything on our planet alive.
What Else is Radiating?
Yeah, that''s great, the sun sustains life, but what does that mean about cell phones? That''s a god question worth investigating. Let''s look at some other household items and see how they compare.
In the United States, the Motorola Bravo gives off 1.59 SAR (that''s a digital radiation level). It''s the highest. 1.38 SAR, which comes from the outdated RIM BlackBerry Bold 9930 is the lowest. In other words, there isn''t a huge difference between the best and the worst cell phones.
The fact of the matter is that all cell phones fall somewhere between an FM radio and a microwave oven. You get less radiation watching TV for an hour than talking on your phone for an hour, but, then again, you get more radiation driving down the road with your GPS unit turned on.
Let''s take a look at the radiation (in GHz, Gigahertz) created by items that the average person encounters regularly (the amounts are approximate since it varies from device to device):
- FM Radio: .1 GHz
- Remote Control: .1 GHz
- Television: .5 GHz
- Cell Phone: .8 GHz
- GPS Device: 1.2 GHz
- Medical Scanner: 1.4 GHz
- Microwave: 2.4 GHz
Of course, radon seeping into your home can expose you to massive amounts of radiation, depending on the size of the leak and the size of your home. Even bananas emit a tiny bit of radiation because they contain potassium, so you''re not completely safe no matter what you do.
Stirring the Controversy Kettle Again
In 2008, a group of "kids" released a YouTube video showing that they could pop a few kernels of popcorn just by putting their cell phones together and letting them right at once. Did someone add T-Mobile smartphone features that cures late-night munchies? It seemed especially surprising given that microwaves give off substantially higher levels of radiation than cell phones.
It didn''t take long because Abraham Glezerman, CEO or Cardo Systems stepped forward as the market "genius" behind the viral campaign. Although he never mentioned cell phone radiation, skeptics smiled knowingly when they found out that Glezerman''s company sells BluTooth devices, which have commonly been marketed as a way to keep cell phone radiation further from the head. Very tricky, Mr. Glezerman. Quite tricky indeed.
Wrapping up the Controversy
So far, no one has produced compelling, scientific evidence showing that cell phone''s emit harmful radiation. Of course, they do emit some radiation, but the entire world is made of radiation, so there''s no reason to start buying protective devices.
If you are worried that cell phones will cause health problems, then take these simple steps
- text more than you talk
- limit your time talking
- don''t wear your cell phone on your pelvis (after all, that doesn''t exactly sound better, does it?)
But beyond everything else: don''t believe every joke or conspiracy theory you see online!
As far as anyone knows, cell phones are perfectly harmless. In fact, they save people time and time again by giving them easy access to police and firefighters during emergency situations. Even if there is a small chance of harm, it pales in comparison to the benefits.
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