Posted June 4, 2011
What’s the closest distance to your ear that you should hold a cell phone? Don’t know? You probably should, said David O. Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment in the University at Albany’s School of Public Health.
“The manuals that come with cellphones all say ‘Don’t hold a cellphone closer than one inch from your head,’ but nobody knows that, because they don’t read the manual,” Carpenter said.
Given the World Health Organization’s recent statement that cellphones might increase cancer risk, you might want to dig that manual out of the cellphone box at the bottom of your closet and learn more about the safest way to use that device.
Though there’s still no definitive proof that using a cellphone can make you more susceptible to cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which develops cancer-prevention strategies for the WHO, has assessed the phones as “possibly carcinogenic,” the third-strongest designation on its carcinogen rating scale. Some said the statement proves what they have believed for years, that the radiofrequency energy released by cellphones may be dangerous. Others have been skeptical, pointing out that coffee and pickled vegetables have also been labeled as “possibly carcinogenic” at some point.
It’s never a bad idea, however, to practice safer cell phone usage, said Douglas Lyon, chairman of the computer engineering department at Fairfield University. “The bias right now seems to be toward ‘Better safe than sorry,’ ” Lyon said.
So what can you do to protect yourself? Well, reading the manual is a good start, as they usually tell you how close to your head you can safely hold your phone. Elaborating on his earlier statement, Carpenter said the exact distance varies depending on the phone, but it is usually close to an inch.
Try telling that to the students at Fairfield U., Lyon said. “The students always have their cell phones glued to their ear as they walk around,” he said. “I don’t know what they’re talking about. I think they’re talking about nothing.”
Lyon and Carpenter both advised phone users to stop pressing the devices into their skulls and switch to a hands-free apparatus. Carpenter said wireless ear pieces, such as a Bluetooth, can still expose you to some radiation, but wired headsets are a good option that can reduce exposure. If you don’t have either of these, you can hold the phone a short distance from your ear, or use the phone’s speaker mode.
Carpenter also strongly cautioned parents against letting their children use cellphones — for talking, at least. “Fortunately, most of the kids today are texting instead of talking,” he said.
Texting is thought to be safer, mainly because the phone is fairly fair away from your head when you let your fingers do the talking.
Lyon stopped short though of recommending you strip kids of their cellphones.
“I understand wanting your kids to have a cellphone, so they can stay in touch,” he said. But, if you must give your child a cellphone, he said, give them a headset as well.
Of course, there’s one way to eliminate your risk of exposure while staying in touch, Lyon said.
“If you have a land line,” said Lyon, “that’s the safest way to talk.”
Reach Amanda Cuda at acuda@ctpost.com or 203-330-6290. Follow at twitter.com/AmandaCuda.
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