Today we remember:
Apply the Precautionary Principle as far as cell phone use is concerned.
•A cell phone is not a toy, it is a radiation emitting device.
•Use by infants and children under the age of two should rather be avoided.
•Children and teenagers under the age of 16 should carry cell phones for emergency purposes only.
•Do not put the phone in the back of the child’s pram/backpack, unless completely switched off.
•Make it a habit not to use the phone in proximity to children.
•Educate teenagers on how to use cell phones in a safer way.
•Switch the cell phone off completely, it does not have to be on 24/7. Even on airplane mode there will be electric and magnetic fields present.
•Put distance between the phone and the head/body. Place the phone on a desk or table and use speakerphone or text.
•Avoid keeping the phone in your trouser pockets, shirt pockets or in your bra, not even on airplane mode.
•Pregnant women and those planning for a baby should be extra careful and limit cell phone use to an absolute minimum.
•Avoid using your phone when the signal is weak, the phone has to work so much harder to make contact with the tower, thus emitting more radiation.
•Avoid using your phone in a car, bus or train.
•Practise EMF Hygiene:
We need to be more responsible in the way we use technology and change our behaviour rather than seeking quick fixes. Beware of products that claim to protect from cell phone radiation. In some cases it can have the adverse effect of making the phone work harder, thus emitting more radiation. In other cases it might only provide partial protection, if any at all.
•Switch the phone off completely at sunset.
•Instead of using a phone as an alarm clock purchase an old fashioned battery operated alarm clock.
•Avoid looking at your phone first thing in the morning, rather go outside and watch the sunrise.
•Install blue light filtering software like Iris Mini.
•Instead of using a phone to access the internet, a safer option is to use a hardwired laptop or computer. Remember not to use the laptop on your lap.
•Some phones can be hardwired. Even so, place distance between the phone and your body/head.
•Air tube headsets without metal can be used but we advise our customers to still aim for “the distance is your friend” rule.
•The SAR value of the phone is only partially helpful, as it merely considers the thermal effect.
•2G and 3G phones are not “safer” per se (the NTP study looked at radio frequency radiation like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones). Rather apply the Precautionary Principle.
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