Just because nearly every one has one that does not mean that mobile phones/devices and the radiation they constantly emit are safe, despite the aggressive efforts their manufacturers and the telecommunications industry trying to claim to the contrary, by trying to minimize as best they can the very real risks involved with constant exposure.
Studies are showing that cognitive problems and brain tumors are among the reported side effects of cell phone usage, the same effects that manufacturers are required to tell consumers about but are most often hidden from view and are hard to find in the small print. If your cell phone came with a printed manual it will be buried deep within that fine print, if it did not come with a printed manual it will likely take some assistance to find where it is hidden in the phone.
Recently CBC News Canada did a feature on radiation risks of cell phone on the Marketplace Feature “The Secret Inside Your Cellphone”. Many of the users were not able to find any safety information without help because it was not easily accessible, once they were shown how to find it, usually well buried inside of the terms of service, they were shocked to learn the hidden truth.
The fine print for the iPhones was shown to warn users to avoid exposure to the radio frequency energy being emitted from the device by using a hands free cord; it also warns that carrying the device closer than 5 millimeters from the body could pose health threats. When asked in the CBC Marketplace news report feature for a comment about the advice inside their phones regarding specific separation distances Apple stated “have no comment to add to your story.”
One would think that such information would be required to be printed in large bold letters, or have red flag warnings, even a sticker pointing it out on the box before it’s opened or so that it is noticed when it is opened. But that is not the case, one would be hard pressed to find it, as were the vast majority of cell phone users, which was upwards of 81% where the sampling was taken in Canada, who say they’ve never even seen these safety warning before.
Testing conducted by CBC News as part of the Marketplace Feature Report looked at how most of the popular mobile devices on the market today perform in regards to radiation emission. They learned distances of 5-15mm away from the body for most phones such as the LG5, Samsung Galaxy, and iPhone 7 were relatively safe, but any closer was not.
It is all in the way most people carry around and use their mobile devices, radiation levels to the body exceed that which government agencies have established as being safe. Unless the mobile devices are carried around inside a purse/bag or in a big bulky case and clip at all times chances are it just in a pocket or such and being pressed against the body, putting it closer than that of the minimum 5mm distance recommendation.
This may not seem like much being only a few millimeters closer/further to the body, but distance and radiation make all the difference; for each incremental distance held closer to the body the mobile device will emit radiation which becomes progressively more damaging. Manufacturers are well aware of this, yet they do not and are not required to share this information prominently displayed for consumers awareness.
Frank Clegg, former president of Microsoft Canada, now heading up/advocating for improved safety guidelines to protect consumers from radiation based technology says, “Dozens and dozens of studies show that cell phone radiation harm has been presented to Health Canada.” Much like the American government Clegg says the Canadian government indifference to the plethora of evidence is “unforgivable”, and Clegg is working with others such as Dr. Devra Davis of the non-profit Environmental Health Trust to increase transparency about the radiation dangers for the best interest of public health.
Davis points out every mm closer leads to more radiation, and potential harm; men who keep their mobile device in their trouser pockets experience lower sperm counts. Government agencies continue to claim there is no “totality” of scientific evidence of harm, and maintain small children could be exposed around the clock every day for a year and not suffer adverse effects, despite the growing body of evidence showing the opposite, which is truly appalling.
At a pediatric conference in Baltimore in 2018 top medical schools/university scientists and physicians expressed concern about potentially harmful mobile device radiation and its effects on brain development of unborn children, some of which have already issued warnings of risks, and The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for standards to be imposed. Maryland State Advisory Council recommends to restrict Wi-Fi in schools, this was published in the Baltimore Sun.
Children have been shown to be particularly susceptible to mobile device radiation, absorbing up to 10 times as much radiation as adults, according to Dr. Martha Herbert, who has reported associations between autism and electromagnetic fields of wireless internet: “…wireless technology can cause disturbances in brain calcium signaling and information processing, leading to agitation…”
Mobile device radiation has also been linked to cancer in addition to cognitive and behavioral problems. One disturbing study showed low levels of radiation to cause increase of highly malignant tissues of the brain and heart, even at levels below the safety limit. Dr. Jacob Easaw has launched a brain tumor registry to track and document increased incidences of brain cancer.
Berkeley, California has passed the Right-To-Know Law, which is an ordinance that requires retailers to provide consumers clear alerts in regards to federal guidelines on the safe use of cell phones. By law retailers must now clearly post the warning that is usually concealed inside devices and hard to find. “Carrying phones in pants, shirt pocket, or tucked in a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, may exceed federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation.” Warnings also advise users to refer to device instructions/manuals for information on using the device safely.
To no surprise this law is being challenged by Cellular Telephone Industries Association which is representing the largest cell phone carriers in the country. Their ludicrous stance is the warning infringes on the First Amendment right of mobile device users and shrilly condemns the law as being “highly misleading, one-sided, innuendo-laden and controversial.” Which is basically trying to suggest that making consumers aware of the federal guidelines and information they have buried deep within their fine print is wrong. “…Government rests on freely given consent of the governed; surely the Right to Know should trump the Right to Profit…” says Dr. Davis.
