How Much Radiation Does Your Cell Phone Emit?

cell phone photo
How often do you talk on your cell phone?
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When we think about environmentally friendly cell phones, typically the first things that come to mind are their energy efficiency, the elimination of toxins in their manufacturing, their recyclability, or even what green apps we use. But what about their radiation emissions? The Environmental Working Group has released a website that sorts through cell phones and shows the emissions levels of over 1,000 cell phone models.

The group states, "Recent studies find significantly higher risks for brain and salivary gland tumors among people using cell phones for 10 years or longer. The state of the science is provocative and troubling, and much more research is essential. We at Environmental Working Group are still using our cell phones, but we also believe that until scientists know much more about cell phone radiation, it's smart for consumers to buy phones with the lowest emissions."

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And so, they've released a Cell Phone Radiation Guide. You can look up your model of phone, check out the phones with the least and most emissions, read through available research, and find out how to reduce your exposure levels.

They also encourage users to take action on the issue, providing a form for people to fill out that encourages the FCC and FDA to require emissions information on phones, and do anything possible to reduce emissions in the first place.

It's not exactly a call to fashioning a tin foil hat to strap on every time you want to make a call, but it is a big awareness booster. Until we have more science around radiation emissions from cell phones, we might as well err on the side of caution. The Environmental Working Group's new database helps you do just that.

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Frequently Answered Questions

How far away should your phone be when you sleep?
Your phone should be at least 3 feet away from you when you sleep.

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