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If you know how cell phones work, you'll know that it involves radio waves "made up of electromagnetic radiation propagated by the antenna." Quite logically, the presence of such radiation has raised some serious questions about potential health risks to cell phone users. Like most every new development—from cigarettes to nuclear power to genetically modified food—these questions have resulted in both vehement denials and hysterical claims. Somewhere in the middle, you'll find the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Keith Black is a neurosurgeon who treated infamous lawyer Johnnie Cochran (who died of a brain tumor in 2005). "There are a billion people using cell phones and they'll be using cell phones for many years," said Dr. Black. "We don't know if this is going to be a safe practice."
It seems like a good time to evoke the Precautionary Principle and listen to the warnings—in the name of reducing cell phone-related risks. Here are some suggestions from the National Institutes of Health:
- Have lengthy phone conversations on a conventional telephone (landline) instead of your cell phone
- Use a headset and place the phone away from your body
- Find out how much SAR energy your cell phone gives off
Love green gadgets, fashion, and news? Get the latest from Planet Green's dynamic duo Suchin Pak and Daniel Sieberg on the G Word.
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