Are We Safe From Cell Phone Radiation?

Updating a 2003 report, the information still does not show clear impacts from mobile phone radiation.

 
In the on going studies regarding the impact of cell phone radiation for those using mobile phones, it has been studied over the past 15 years and the most recent results are in. It appears that there has been no conclusive evidence of negative impact on us "homo sapiens" based on all the research done. That does not mean there is absolutely no impact. It is being reported that there is no negative impact which has been found from their years of research. That is not to say that use of a cell phone for 20 years will not cause any negative impact from the emissions from the phones. With that statement, it may cause some to continue to be concerned and others to not give it another thought.

The most recent report comes from the Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) which is an independent group of the Health Protection Agency in Europe. There most recent report, which you can download is an update from their previous report back in 2003. They have continued to compile information since that time in an effort to conclusively prove the affects of prolonged cell phone usage. In particular, they have been looking at RF field exposure. This latest report does not reveal much that can be considered a radical departure from the previous reports and concludes that they need to do far more research. That is not exactly the conclusion which so many had hoped for. From a scientific perspective, there is just not enough data to conclusively prove there is no impact which might cause cancer.

As a result of prior studies, there were international guidelines published to indicate safe levels for cell phone usage. While industry groups claim cell phones are safe, not all cell phones emit the same about of RF when in use. So as a result, one particular phone may emit less than another. There may be differences between phones from the same manufacturer. As a result, you have to do your own research if you are concerned. CNet maintains a list of cell phones and there radiation levels. You may want to take a look at this list, especially the first page showing a list of the worst offenders. There are 4 Motorola Droid phones listed and 2 Blackberry Bold phones. I was surprised to learn that the radiation levels for the various models of the iPhone range from 0.75 to 1.38. Blackberry phones ran from 0.5 to 1.54. Samsung phones ran from 0.2 to 1.47.

You can see from the wide variance in radiation emissions from these phones so you need to look closely at what you are getting, especially if you are concerned about what cell phones may be emitting. This list is maintained by CNet for active phones being sold. As a model is discontinued, it is removed from the list. Even if you are not all that concerned about the emissions from the phones, you probably should take the time to look at how your current phone measures up.

The end result of all the studies which have been done to date has not proven a cancer risk to those who are using cell phones. While that does not mean that there are no impacts, it does mean they have not been able to prove a correlation between heavy cell phone usage causing cancer. The obvious conclusion of all the studies is that more research needs to be done. Since cell phones have only been around for 15 years on a wide spread usage, there needs to be more data collect to determine the impact of cell phone usage at 20 or 25 years of use.

Are you concerned about the emissions from your cell phone?