As a follow up to last week’s information about the hazards of cell phones, I offer this guide to use cell phones more safely. You can take actions to protect your health!

• Use a headset or the speaker function on your phone. Distance the phone from your body and head.
• Don’t carry a cell phone in your pocket. The cell phone emits radiation even when it is not in use.
• Beware of a weak signal. When a cell phone is in standby mode or when the signal strength is weak or blocked, exposure to radiation increases. Limit the use of your phone at these times.
• Keep cell phones away from children. The younger the child is, the greater the risk of exposure. Do not give a cell phone to a baby or toddler to use as a toy or pacifier.
• Do not leave your cell phone or cordless phone by your bed. Make your bedroom a phone-free zone.

We all have become dependent on cell phones, so it is important to use them wisely. Our health is dependent upon it!

www. environmentalhealthtrust.org

I attended a panel at the Integrative Health Care Symposium called “Integrative Oncology Panel: The Environment and Cancer, Observations from the Field.” I learned vital information about cell phone use and our health, and I want to share it with you.

Dr. Devra Davis, PHD, MPH, Mitchell Gaynor, MD, and Susan Luck, RN, HNC, CCN led the panel. Dr. Davis answers many questions about the hazards of cell phones in her book, Disconnect. For more information about cell phone hazards and Dr. Davis’s book, go to www.environmentalhealthtrust.org.

Cell phones are actually 2-way microwave radios, and it has been proven that radiation causes cancer. Brain cancer – the cancer commonly associated with cell phone use – takes a minimum of 10 years to develop. Other forms of cancer have been linked to cell phones, too. In Florida, 5 women in their 20’s were diagnosed with breast cancer. These women all carried cell phones in their sports bras.

If you read the fine print of your cell phone packaging materials, you will find it recommends that the devices be held 5/8” to 1” from the head. It has been shown that using a cell phone for 50 minutes changes the glucose in the brain and disrupts DNA. Although studies have not proven the dangers of cell phones to our health, we cannot afford to wait for absolute proof to address health problems associated with cell phone use!

Children and Cell Phones: 3 out of 4 children under the age of 12 use a cell phone today. Children have a thin skull because they are still developing, and they have less protection against cell phone radiation.

Are cordless phones any better than cell phones? Cordless phones pose their own health risks. M. Havas, PHD, in the Environmental and Resources Studies Department at Trent University showed that 40% of generally healthy volunteers showed marked increases in electrical disturbances of the heart (arrhythmias) following exposure to a cordless phone base station emitting 2.41 GHz pulsed microwave signals. The information was published on October 22, 2010 in a special edition of the European Journal of Oncology.

This information hits very close to home, since we all use cell phones on a daily basis. Contact me for more information on ways to eliminate your exposure to these potential health hazards. Read next week’s entry to learn what you can do to minimize your exposure to the hazards of cell phones while still using a cell phone.