Blog #26 RF and your Health
When I opened by phone and looked at the "legal" tab under settings- I was shocked. Quite a bit of information is held there. However, it says that my iphone "has been tested and maintains and meets applicable limits for radio frequency (RF) exposure"
But How do I know? What does the evidence say about this? Most reading I could find came from the EU. What does America have to hide? Well it seems this a race to technology, and not about human health. Every article I searched talked more about how we need to "win" 5G and "beat out China" in our sprint to the finish to get 5G networks up and running...
The industry tells us it is "the next great thing" "Will give us more speed"...But is this good for our health?Do we care about RF exposure in this country. Here is what our commission on Federal Communications has to say about it:
The FDA maintains a website on RF issues. The World Health Organization (WHO), which has established an International Electromagnetic Fields Project (IEFP) to provide information on health risks, establish research needs and support efforts to harmonize RF exposure standards, provides additional information on RF exposure and mobile phone use. View more information on the IEFP.
Some health and safety interest groups have interpreted certain reports to suggest that wireless device use may be linked to cancer and other illnesses, posing potentially greater risks for children than adults. While these assertions have gained increased public attention, currently no scientific evidence establishes a causal link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses. Those evaluating the potential risks of using wireless devices agree that more and longer-term studies should explore whether there is a better basis for RF safety standards than is currently used. The FCC closely monitors all of these study results. However, at this time, there is no basis on which to establish a different safety threshold than our current requirements.
You can find additional useful information and links to some of the other responsible organizations on the FCC’s website.
What You Can Do
Even though no scientific evidence currently establishes a definite link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses, and even though all cell phones must meet established federal standards for exposure to RF energy, some consumers are skeptical of the science and/or the analysis that underlies the FCC’s RF exposure guidelines. Accordingly, some parties recommend taking measures to further reduce exposure to RF energy. The FCC does not endorse the need for these practices, but provides information on some simple steps that you can take to reduce your exposure to RF energy from cell phones. For example, wireless devices only emit RF energy when you are using them and, the closer the device is to you, the more energy you will absorb.
Some measures to reduce your RF exposure include:
- Use a speakerphone, earpiece or headset to reduce proximity to the head (and thus exposure). While wired earpieces may conduct some energy to the head and wireless earpieces also emit a small amount of RF energy, both wired and wireless earpieces remove the greatest source of RF energy (the cell phone) from proximity to the head and thus can greatly reduce total exposure to the head.
- Increase the distance between wireless devices and your body.
- Consider texting rather than talking - but don’t text while you are driving.
Some parties recommend that you consider the reported SAR value of wireless devices. However, comparing the SAR of different devices may be misleading. First, the actual SAR varies considerably depending upon the conditions of use. The SAR value used for FCC approval does not account for the multitude of measurements taken during the testing. Moreover, cell phones constantly vary their power to operate at the minimum power necessary for communications; operation at maximum power occurs infrequently. Second, the reported highest SAR values of wireless devices do not necessarily indicate that a user is exposed to more or less RF energy from one cell phone than from another during normal use (see our guide on SAR and cell phones). Third, the variation in SAR from one mobile device to the next is relatively small compared to the reduction that can be achieved by the measures described above. Consumers should remember that all wireless devices are certified to meet the FCC maximum SAR standards, which incorporate a considerable safety margin. (Information about the maximum SAR value for each phone is publicly available on the FCC website.)
Other Risks
Some studies have shown that wireless devices might interfere with implanted cardiac pacemakers if used within eight inches of the pacemaker. Pacemaker users may want to avoid placing or using a wireless device this close to their pacemaker.
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Date Last Updated/Reviewed:
Monday, August 6, 2018
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