Precautionary Steps to be Followed When Using Cell Phones

The CEO (Center for Environmental Oncology) suggested this 10-point list of precautions:

1.Children should only use cell phones for emergencies. Organs that are still growing are likely to be the most sensitive to electromagnetic fields.

2.When using your cell phone, keep it away from the body as much as you can. Compared to holding it next to your head, the amplitude of the electromagnetic field drops to 25 per cent at two inches (5 cm) distance and to 2 per cent at three feet (about 1 metre).

3.Use speakerphone, or a wireless Bluetooth headset, as much as possible. These have less than 1 per cent of the emission of a normal cell phone. A hands-free ear piece may also reduce exposure.

4.Using your cell phone in public, crowded places, like a bus, means others are passively exposed to your phone's electromagnetic fields, so avoid using it in these places.

5.Keep your phone away from your body as much as possible - don't carry it on your body. Don't keep it near your body at night (eg under a pillow or on a bedside table), especially if you are pregnant. Put it in "flight" mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions (you can still other functions such as the alarm in this mode).

6.If you have to carry it on your body, keep the keypad toward you and the back of the phone pointing away from you so more of the transmitted electromagnetic field moves away from you rather than toward you.

7.For long conversations use a landline with a corded phone, not a cell phone or a cordless phone, since both use similar electromagnetic emitting technology.

8.Alternate right and left ear when using your cell phone, to spread the exposure. Wait until the person you are calling answers before placing the phone next to your ear. In other words, do everything you can to cut your exposure time with the phone close to your body.

9.Avoid using your phone when travelling at speed, such as on a train, or when the signal is weak. The phone will be trying to connect to a new relay antenna, and uses higher power to do this.

10.Text rather than call, as much as you can. This limits exposure in two ways: less time on the phone and the phone is further away from your body.

**Choose a phone with the lowest possible Specific Absorption Rate (SAR, a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body).