California Health Department Warns Against Cell Phone Use

California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning the public against cell phone usage. The report is meant to provide consumers with guidelines on reducing their exposure to radio frequency energy.

The CDPH notes that the scientific community has not reached a consensus on the matter.

Research does suggest that long-term usage may impact human health. CDPH Director Dr. Karen Smith states that the science is still evolving. She suggests simple steps to limit exposure, including: keeping cell phones away from the bed at night and out of pockets when possible.

Studies from 2016 show that the average person touches their phone 2,617 times per day. Extreme users, those in the top 10%, touched their phone 5,400 times a day or more.

The report suggests reducing cell phone use when the signal is weak, keeping cell phones away from the body, limiting streaming on cell phones and removing headsets when not on call. Cell phones emit radio frequency energy when they receive and send signals to cell phone towers.

Children may be at a higher risk of health side effects, as their brains are still developing.

Cell phones have also been linked to cancer and tumor growth. “Approximately one year ago, UC Berkeley professor Joel Moskowitz initiated a lawsuit to get the results of the laboratory experiments released to the public. Professor Moskowitz initiated this lawsuit after he became interested in finding out whether or not cell phone use increased the risk of cancer,” reports https://anewcellphone.com.

Moskowitz claims that cell phone manufacturers have a minimum distance that they suggest users keep between their cell phones and their bodies. He further told KCRA that keeping a cell phone close to the body exceeds the FCC’s safety limits.

The FCC does not have exposure limits in place for wireless devices. “While there is no federally developed national standard for safe levels of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) energy, many federal agencies have addressed this important issue,” states the FCC.

Issues related to RF exposure are being investigated, according to the FCC, and monitored. The FDA, EPA, NIOSH and OSHA are involved in the active monitoring of radio frequency exposure.

Federal agencies conducted a two-year study that linked cellphone radiation to brain and heart tumors in rats. Partial results released by the National Toxicology Program showed that low incidents of gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the hearts of the rats.

The study’s main issue is that the rats were subjected to full body exposure.

The tests involved exposure to radio frequencies used in cell phone communication for nine hours per day. The rats in the test were subjected to the radio frequencies starting in the womb, with exposure continuing past birth.

Male rats had higher incidences of malignant brain gliomas (3.3%) compared to females (1.1%). GSM and CDMA exposure remained consistent, with 3.3% incidences among male rats. Female rats experienced a rate of 2.2% malignant lesions from CDMA exposure compared to 1.1% of GSM exposure.

Heart lesions were significantly higher in male rats subjected to CDMA radio frequencies, with 6.6% suffering lesions. The control group had no incidences of heart or brain lesions.

Melissa Thompson writes about a wide range of topics, revealing interesting things we didn’t know before. She is a freelance USA Today producer, and a Technorati contributor.