How to Use Your Cell Phone to Protect Your Health

What are the long-term effects of using your cell phone? 95 percent of American own a cell phone. 78 percent of teenagers and children own a cell phone. The average age for a child purchasing their first cell phone is 10-years-old. Cell phone studies were completed with the Department of Public Health, National Cancer Institute, National Toxicology Program and National Institute of Environmental Health Science. This research can help the consumer become more aware of how to use their cell phones in a safer matter. It is important to educate yourself to reduce the risk associated with our cell usage.

We have used our phones for GPS direction, recipes online, surf Facebook/Instagram, read the news online instead of reading the newspaper, and even manage our bank account online. Cell phones can affect your health when you decide to expose yourself to electromagnetic radiation. A cell phone can be very dangerous, because of the radiation emitted by electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic waves are emitted when you send or receive signals from cell phone towers or Wi-Fi devices.

When the body is close to the cell phone antenna, the human tissue absorbs radio frequency energy that causes damage to the human body. The signal produces radio waves that cause health-related problems. Also, cell phones can expose you to a form of ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is also found in an x-ray device. It was shown in a study that it was linked to increasing the risk of cancer.

Our cell phone electromagnetic waves also include particles such as electromagnetic spectrum that carry iodizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Radiation has an electron that breaks down atoms thereby creating a chemical bond to your cells. The potential of DNA damage to your cells is caused by radon, cosmic rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, x-rays, gamma rays, infrared light, terahertz, gigahertz, and radio waves.

The following are health risks caused by cell phones: cancers, tumors, headaches, DNA damage, learning disability, acoustic nerve damage, glucose metabolism, salivary gland and parotid gland tumors, low sperm count, memory loss, behavior issues, and sleep apnea. I want people to be aware of a way to reduce radiation so we can live healthy lives.

Tips on reducing risk from using your cell phones:

1. Please keep your cell phone away from your body, five to six inches.
2. When you are traveling, please carry your cell phone in a backpack, purse, or bag to protect yourself from radiation,
3. You can try making a phone call using your bluetooth, headsets, or speakerphone.
4. If you are not using your phone then please remove your headset to protect against radio frequency. The smallest amount of radiation emissions can be dangerous.
5. If you come across a weak cell phone signal then refrain from using your phone. The cell phone has to work harder to send and receive signals, causing a higher level of radiation.
6. You can also reduce the risk of radiation by short conversations on the cell phone, texting, or use your landline phone.
7. If using your phone to upload, download, stream video or audio try to reduce usage to prevent high levels of radiation from radio frequency.
8. Don't buy products that claim to block radio frequency. You want to avoid such items which may actually increase the risk of radiation exposure.
9. Your children should only use a cell phone for emergencies due to their brains not being fully developed yet. The thinner skulls can be more vulnerable to radiation from the cell phone.
10. Please refrain from using your cell phone in car, elevator, bus, train or airplane. Metal causes increased radiation exposure. It can be critical to children, pregnant women, and elderly adults.
11. It is important to keep your cell phone away from the torso area. It can cause infertility of the ovaries and a low sperm count. This will happen due to radiation. The high absorption in the torso area can damage your reproductive organs.
12. Don’t sleep with your cell phone. Your cell phone has electromagnetic radiation which can affect you if the device is close to your body.
13. When you are sleeping keep your phone in airplane mode, flight mode, or offline mode to stop the phone from emitting electromagnetic rays.
14. Check the SAR rating for your phone. SAR is "the specific absorption rate" of the body to absorb radiation in the body. This measurement is the unit of watts absorbed in a kilogram of body weight.

SAR Ratings for Popular Phones:

• Apple iPhone X A1865 1.09
• Apple iPhone X A1902 1.12
• Galaxy Note 2 0.23
• Google Pixel 0.89
• Google Pixel 2 0.93
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2 0.23
• Samsung Galaxy S8 1.55
• Samsung Galaxy S7 1.59