W hat st e ps ca n I t a ke t o r educe m y ex posur e t o radio frequency
ene rgy from m y w ir eless phone ?
I f there is a risk from t hese product s - and at t his point we do not know
that t here is - it is probably very sm all. But if you are concerned about
avoiding even pot ent ial risks, you can t ake a few sim ple st eps t o m inim ize
your exposure to radio frequency energy ( RF) . Since tim e is a key factor
in how m uch exposure a person receives, reducing t he am ount of t im e
spent using a wireless phone will reduce RF exposure.
z “ I f you m ust conduct extended conversations by wireless phone
every day, you could place m ore distance between your body and
the source of t he RF, since t he exposure level drops off
dram atically wit h dist ance. For exam ple, you could use a headset
and carry the wireless phone away from your body or use a
wireless phone connect ed to a rem ot e antenna.
Again, t he scient ific data do not dem onst rat e t hat wireless phones are
harm ful. But if you are concerned about the RF exposure from these
product s, you can use m easures like those described above to reduce
your RF exposure from wireless phone use.
W hat about children using w ire less phones?
The scientific evidence does not show a danger t o users of wireless
phones, including children and t eenagers. I f you want to take steps t o
lower exposure to radio frequency energy (RF) , t he m easures described
above would apply to children and t eenagers using w ireless phones.
Reducing t he t im e of wireless phone use and increasing the dist ance
between the user and the RF source will reduce RF exposure.
Som e groups sponsored by ot her nat ional governm ent s have advised t hat
children be discouraged from using wireless phones at all. For exam ple,
the governm ent in t he Unit ed Kingdom dist ributed leaflet s containing such
a recom m endation in Decem ber 2000. They noted that no evidence exists
that using a wireless phone causes brain tum ors or ot her ill effect s. Their
recom m endat ion to lim it wireless phone use by children was st rict ly
precaut ionary; it was not based on scient ific evidence t hat any healt h
hazard exist s.
Do hands- free k it s for w ireless phones reduce risk s from exposure
t o RF em issions?
Since t here are no known risks from exposure to RF em issions from
wireless phones, there is no reason t o believe that hands- free kit s reduce
risks. Hands- free kit s can be used w ith wireless phones for convenience
and com fort . These syst em s reduce the absorpt ion of RF energy in t he
head because the phone, which is t he source of the RF em issions, will not
be placed against t he head. On t he ot her hand, if the phone is m ount ed
against t he waist or ot her part of t he body dur ing use, t hen that part of
the body will absorb m ore RF energy. Wireless phones m arketed in t he
U.S. are required t o m eet safety requirem ents regardless of whether they
are used against t he head or against t he body. Eit her configurat ion should
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