Share This PageCellphone radiation levels exceed 'safe' limits for adults and children: study
By Erica Johnson
Monday, October 17, 2011, 10:21 AM
A new study on cellphone safety has found that carrying a phone in a shirt or pants pocket exceeds radiation exposure guidelines spelled out by the the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and that children absorb twice as much cellphone radiation as adults.
The study published in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine criticizes the way phone manufacturers measure levels of microwave radiation, and calls for the industry standard to be scrapped. Currently, cellphone radiation is tested using a "dummy", modeled on a man who is 6'2" and weighs 200 pounds. The phone is also held one inch from the test dummy's ear - something rarely done by most people.
Researchers say the standard method used to test radiation levels should be replaced with an MRI-based computer simulation cellphone process that would give more accurate readings.
The study's authors used an MRI-based method to conduct tests they say show that 97 per cent of people will absorb radiation that exceeds the certified levels. They also claim children absorb twice the amount of cellphone radiation to their heads, up to triple the amount to parts of their brain, up to ten times in their bone marrow, and show greater absorption in their eyes.
Marketplace investigated cellphone use with young people three years ago and raised concerns then about young people using cellphones. The piece featured researcher Devra Davis, who is now with the Environmental Health Trust, and is one of the lead authors of this new study.
In Canada, there are no guidelines on cellphone radiation levels for children, but the industry continues to claim that all cellphones sold in Canada are safe for everyone.
The study published in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine criticizes the way phone manufacturers measure levels of microwave radiation, and calls for the industry standard to be scrapped. Currently, cellphone radiation is tested using a "dummy", modeled on a man who is 6'2" and weighs 200 pounds. The phone is also held one inch from the test dummy's ear - something rarely done by most people.
Researchers say the standard method used to test radiation levels should be replaced with an MRI-based computer simulation cellphone process that would give more accurate readings.
The study's authors used an MRI-based method to conduct tests they say show that 97 per cent of people will absorb radiation that exceeds the certified levels. They also claim children absorb twice the amount of cellphone radiation to their heads, up to triple the amount to parts of their brain, up to ten times in their bone marrow, and show greater absorption in their eyes.
Marketplace investigated cellphone use with young people three years ago and raised concerns then about young people using cellphones. The piece featured researcher Devra Davis, who is now with the Environmental Health Trust, and is one of the lead authors of this new study.
In Canada, there are no guidelines on cellphone radiation levels for children, but the industry continues to claim that all cellphones sold in Canada are safe for everyone.
