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use special phone cases, while others involve
nothing more than a metallic accessory
attached to the phone.
Studies have shown that these products
generally do not work as advertised. Unlike
"hands-free" kits, these so-called "shields"
may interfere with proper operation of the
phone. The phone may be forced to boost its
power to compensate, leading to an increase
in RF absorption.
Children and Cell Phones
The scientific evidence does not show a
danger to any users of cell phones from RF
exposure, including children and teenagers.
The steps adults can take to reduce RF
exposure apply to children and teenagers as
well.
•
Reduce the amount of time spent on the cell
phone;
•
Use speaker mode or a headset to place more
distance between the head and the cell phone.
Some groups sponsored by other national
governments have advised that children be
discouraged from using cell phones at all. For
example, The Stewart Report from the United
Kingdom made such a recommendation in
December 2000. In this report, a group of
independent experts noted that no evidence
exists that using a cell phone causes brain
tumors or other ill effects. Their
recommendation to limit cell phone use by
children was strictly precautionary; it was not
based on scientific evidence that any health
hazard exists.
Additional information on the safety of RF
exposures from various sources can be
obtained from the following organizations
(updated 10/1/2010):
•
FCC RF Safety Program:
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/.
•
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
http://www.epa.gov/radtown/wireless-tech.html.
•
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA):
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/
radiofrequencyradiation/.
(Note: This web address is case sensitive.)
•
National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH):
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.
•
World Health Organization (WHO):
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/.
•
International Commission on Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection:
http://www.icnirp.de.
Health and Safety Information
113
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