The debate over the link between cell phone use and brain damage has raged for decades. The fervor reached a head, however, in Sept. 2009 when the Environmental Working Group released hard data measuring the radiation emitted from a wide range of consumer cell phones. What the data failed to provide was a consensus on the issue.
Researchers are divided over the specific dangers presented by the limited amount of radiation produced by most cell phones. Both the National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization state there’s no evidence to support the claims that cell phone radiation causes health problems. Such claims, however, aren’t enough to stop legislation in places like Maine.
According to Time magazine, the Main legislature is moving forward on a bill that would provide cell phone manufacturers to place a warning label on every cell phone sold in the state.
The warning would be similar to those currently found on cigarette packs, except instead of the dangers of nicotine and carcinogens, the labels would be warning against brain damage from radiation exposure. In his article for Time magazine on the upcoming Maine legislation to combat cell phone radiation, Bryan Walsh clarified the radiation produced by the consumer products.
“As cell phones make and take calls, they emit low-level radio-frequency (RF) radiation,” said Walsh. “Stronger than FM radio signals, these RF waves are still a billionth the intensity of known carcinogenic radiation like X-rays.” This type of fear-mongering has led to warning labels on almost everything an individual encounters in his or her daily life. Whether it’s pumping gas, drinking from a water bottle, or using a Xerox machine, people are enveloped by warnings caused by over involvement of the legislature.
Opponents of health care reform were quick to get up in arms about the supposed intrusiveness of government into people’s personal lives, but they don’t bat an eye at legislature that would have us rolling around in plastic bubbles out of a fear of getting a splinter. CNET.com, one of the most popular consumer electronics websites, recently published a list of the specific absorption rate, or the amount of radiation absorbed by the human body from using a cell phone, for dozens of consumer cell phones.
All the surveyed models fell under the maximum SAR allowed by the FCC of 1.6 watts per kilogram. This level of allowance is actually lower than what is allowed in Europe.
There are plenty of dangerous things out in the world, but efforts should be focused on combating major issues affecting the world today. Instead of wasting time passing laws to warn about supposed radiation leakage from cell phones, especially when the scientific community is so divided on the actual facts of the issue, the focus should be on lessening the effects of poverty, urban renewal and other civic issue.