Stop buying those tiny gold or silver stickers for your phone. Seriously. If you are thinking about slapping a patch on your device to protect your brain cells from radiation, save your cash for something with actual magical properties. Like magic beans. Or a monkey’s paw.
These “radiation shields” are a certified scam. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) slapped two manufacturers with charges in 2002 for making false claims about their products. In June 2011, the agency issued a stark alert: these shields have absolutely no scientific merit.
The Cancer Question Is Still Open
Will your pocket phone give you cancer? We don’t know yet. Countless studies have tackled this, but the answers remain elusive. The problem is mostly timing. Most cell phone users haven’t had the technology long enough to see long-term effects. Tumors typically take 10 to 20 years to develop. We are still waiting for that data to mature.
What we do know is that cell phones emit small amounts of electromagnetic radiation. This is just a fancy term for radiating energy waves. It includes microwaves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, gamma rays, and even visible light. Your phone’s transmitter turns your voice into an electrical signal and sends it out as radio frequency energy. This is another form of electromagnetic radiation.
How Much Radiation Are We Talking About?
In the United States, federal law requires absorption rates of 1.6 watts per kilogram of body weight or less. This is averaged over 1 gram of body tissue. In Europe, the maximum rate is slightly higher at 2 watts per kilogram.
To put that in perspective, your body absorbs about 5 watts per kilogram while sunbathing. During a call, the FCC mandates that cell phones limit their rate to 1.6 watts per kilogram or less.
As far as radiation goes, this is pretty weak. Cell phone radiation is nonionizing radiation. Unlike ionizing radiation, it doesn’t break down atoms and molecules. But our bodies still absorb it. How dangerous is that absorption? Scientists are still trying to figure that out.
Why Stickers Don’t Work
A small dime-sized sticker placed near the antenna won’t cut down on your absorption rate. Why? Because the entire phone emits electromagnetic waves. You wouldn’t slap a sticker on a dirty diaper to kill the smell, right? Of course not.
Not only do these stickers not absorb the radiation they claim to, they might actually increase the amount of radiation your phone pumps out. The FTC warns that such stickers may interfere with a phone’s signal. When the signal is blocked, the phone draws more power to communicate with the cell tower. This emits more radiation in the process.
Practical Ways to Reduce Exposure
If you want to play it safe without abandoning your cellular technology, there are better ways to reduce exposure.
- Use hands-free headsets to distance the radiation-emitting phone from your head.
- Consider using the phone in open spaces as opposed to enclosed rooms.
- Text more and avoid long calls when signal reception is poor.
The harder your phone has to work to maintain a signal, the more radiation it emits. Poor signal areas are the worst offenders.
Dial up some more links on the next page to learn even more about cell phone radiation.
Lots More Information
More Great Links
- FTC: Listen Up: Tips to Help Avoid Cell Phone Radiation Scams
- FCC: Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for Cell Phones: What It Means for You
Sources
- Butler, Kiera. “This Is Your Brain on Cell Phones.” Mother Jones. August 2008. (July 14, 2011) http://motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/your-brain-cell-phones
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC). “FTC Charges Sellers of Cell Phone Radiation Protection Patches with Making False Claims.” Feb. 20, 2002. (July 14, 2011) http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/svicomstar.shtm
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC). “Listen Up: Tips to Help Avoid Cell Phone Radiation Scams.” June 2011. (July 14, 2011) http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt109.shtm
- Mosher, Dave. “Cellphone Radiation Increases Brain Activity.” WIRED Science. Feb. 22, 2011. (July 18, 2011) http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/cell-phone-brain/
- Woolston, Chris. “Do Cell Phone Shields Block Radiation?” Chicago Tribune. Aug. 3, 2009. (July 14, 2011) http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-tc-health-skeptic-cell-donejun26,0,1956147.story
