Still, the threat of brain tumors — no matter how slight — is troubling to WHO scientists. Americans average about 20 minutes of cellphone talk time per day, according to data from CTIA, the cellular industry’s trade association.
That doesn’t sound like a lot. But researchers were alarmed by a study that found an increased incidence of brain tumors in people who used their cellphones for an average of 30 minutes per day.
What to do? You can find lots of advice for protecting yourself, but some of it is useless. For instance, some companies sell shielding devices that purport to protect users from the radio waves. But the Federal Communications Commission says they don’t work. The point of a cellphone is to transmit radio signals. Any shield that completely blocked them would make the phone useless.
The Environmental Working Group, a lobbying outfit in Washington, D.C., recommends buying phones that transmit at a lower power level. All cellphones sold in the United States are tested to ensure they meet a federally mandated power limit. At websites such as CNET.com, you can look up the maximum output ratings for many phone models.
But the FCC warns that shopping for a lower-powered phone may not help. Phones rarely broadcast at peak power. Average power output, which isn’t rated, is much more important. A phone’s peak power rating, for example, might be fairly low, but its average output could be relatively high, making it a riskier choice.
For a more practical defense, make like a teenager, and text instead of talking. Sending SMS or e-mail messages keeps the phone well away from your skull. The farther your brain is from the phone, the lower the risk of brain tumors.
If you must talk, most handsets have a speakerphone feature to let you converse at a distance. I often use it because I’m too lazy to hold the phone. Now I’ve got a better reason.
