Super Eco

Photo credit: Wonderlane, flickr

Yet another bone of contention in the struggle to reconcile modern technology and conveniences with its effects on our health: Does radiation from cell phones pose health risks? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has fueled the debate with a new report offering hard facts, measuring the radiation emissions of more than 1,200 cell phone models. Consumers can look up the results for their own phones on the EWG's user-friendly interactive online guide, which helps consumers choose cell phones with the lowest radiation emissions.

"Recent studies find significantly higher risks for brain and salivary gland tumors among people using cell phones for 10 years or longer," notes the EWG. "The state of the science is provocative and troubling, and much more research is essential. We at Environmental Working Group are still using our cell phones, but we also believe that until scientists know much more about cell phone radiation, it’s smart for consumers to buy phones with the lowest emissions."

Radiation from cell phones is under scrutiny for links with cancer and other health problems. Too much time on the cell phone for pregnant mothers and young children has been linked with children’s behavior problems, according to a study at the UCLA School of Public Health and the University of Aarhus in Denmark. Children who were exposed to cell phones before and/or after birth tended to have higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems, attention difficulties, hyperactivity and peer problems at age 7 than their peers. Researchers have not been able to explain the study's unexpected results.

If you must use your cell phone, take precautions to limit your exposure to radiation:

1. Make cell phone conversations brief.
2. Keep cell phones away from your head by text messaging rather than talking.
3. Rather than holding the cell phone to your ear, use headphones or speaker phones instead.