Are Cell Phones Killing Us?
The real word on radiation data.
By Alice Hill
When I lived in New York, I would regu
larly see a woman camped in front of
my subway station wearing a bulging ski
cap easily twice the size of her head. A
report on the local news one night
explained this mystery—something called
“foil heads.” According the report, people
like the woman I saw believed that sur
rounding the head with aluminum
foil would protect them from
harmful radiation they could
feel piercing their brains from
nearby TV stations and radio
antennas.
Because of the hysteria
surrounding cell phone radi
All cell phones made
today fall under
acceptable levels of
radiation providing
you do not hold them
against your brain for
over an hour.
ation, I do believe that some
people are just about to resort
to aluminum foil again. Are we
in danger when we use our cell
phones, or is fearing radiation
as crazy as packing a ski cap
with foil?
Just the Facts
Here’s what we do know. Cell
phones produce radiofrequency
radiation (RF) in the microwave band. At
high levels, this can cause biological dam
age from the heat produced—much like a
microwave oven. What we don’t know is
whether or not damage occurs at very low
RF levels.
In 2000 the FCC created a measure
ment called Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
to give consumers data on the radiation
levels their phones produce. You can look
up your own phone's rating at the mobile
search engine: domode.com. All three of
the government agencies studying cell
phone safety (the Federal Communications
^ Commission, the Food and Drug
Administration and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration), as
well as the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, have concluded
that all cell phones made today fall
under acceptable levels of radiation—
V providing you do not hold them
against your brain for over an hour.
As a precaution the FDA recom
V mends two tips: Use a mobile phone
with an antenna that is located outside the
car, or a headset with a remote antenna to
a mobile phone carried at the waist (a com
plete FCC guide to RF Safety can be found
at fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety). Continuous talk
time seems to be the biggest threat, so
keep your calls under an hour and get a
headset. It looks a lot better under a ski
cap anyway. •
Hang Up and Drive
Radiation from cell phones might not kill
you, but driving and talking could. Collision
risk increases fourfold when a cell phone is
used while driving. If you need to use your
phone while driving, follow these safety tips
to minimize the risks:
1. When possible, pull over to the side of
the road and put on your hazard lights
before you place a call.
2. If you have to use your phone in traffic,
use a hands-free device so both hands
can remain on the wheel. Although
hands-free phones can’t eliminate the
most hazardous distraction—the phone
conversation itself—they do minimize
the risk associated with dialing.
3. Avoid emotional or intense phone con
versations. If you must talk on the phone
while you drive, keep the calls short and
to the point.
4. Call when there’s no other traffic around.
Drivers on the phone tend to pay less
attention to speed and lane maintenance.
5. Be aware that phone conversations are
distracting—you need to adjust your use
of the phone to accommodate that.
Drivers on the phone tend to pay less
attention to speed and lane maintenance.
When you make a call about a road
emergency or accident, remember that .
rubbernecking often leads to congestion
and driver distraction, so adjust your
driving accordingly.
Source: Cars.com. Adapted from
cars.com/carsapp/national/?&srv=parser&act=
display&tf=/features/dri venow/drivenowJndex.tmpl>
GADGETS |
High-Tech Toys: Better Living Through Technology By jane K m
Creative Labs Video Blaster Web Cam Co Plus ($149.99)
The Creative Labs team has come up with a web
r^^^^^cam with all the perks: The Go Plus allows you to
videoconference, ser|d Lull-motion video
e-mail, and create eye-catching multime
dia web sites. The best part is that it
doubles as a full-color digital camera and
[ digital voice recorder—so when you’re on the
go, you can capture precious moments and create
photos that literally talk (creativelabs.com).
Ionic Breeze Car Air Purifier ($59.95)
Stop trying to cover up lingering cigarette
smoke and the stink of sweaty sports equip
ment in your car. It’s time to toss that card
board dangly thing and opt for something that
works. The electrostatic Ionic Breeze promises to purify and de
cootify even the stuffiest of cars by trapping odors and neutralizing
the air. Even cooler—its blinking red lights simulate a
car alarm to scare off those prowling car-jackers
(sharperimage.com).
Motorola V2282 (starts at $99)
Listen to your favorite tunes and get your calls
with Motorola’s FM Radio Phone. The V2282 is
single-band, and its built-in microbrowser
allows you to access the Internet. It
comes with stereo headphones
and a hands-free mike so
you can browse the stations
in between and during calls
(motorola.com).
steamtunnels.net 9