MNeagle
4th October 2010, 05:08 PM
By LAURA JOHANNES
For frequent cellphone users, there are a number of products designed to cut exposure to cellphone radiation. Scientists say some gadgets don't work, but others may be a reasonable precaution.
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-AX295_aches1_DV_20101004163317.jpg
The tawkon app
Many scientists think cellphone radiation is safe, but others are concerned it can cause brain tumors or other cancers. "So far studies of cellphones haven't identified major problems, but there are important uncertainties," says Leeka Kheifets, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California in Los Angeles. Longer-term studies are needed since some types of brain tumors can take decades to grow—longer than cellphones have been in widespread use, she says.
A plethora of radiation-cutting options are popping up. One heavily marketed option are radiation shields, or tiny disks that stick on the phone and are supposed to neutralize radiation. The disks make no sense scientifically, says Louis Bloomfield, a professor of physics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. If the disk really does absorb and reflect radio waves, all it would do is ruin your reception "and you risk the cellphone turning up its intensity because it is having trouble communicating," he says.
The Federal Trade Commission, which has taken enforcement action against at least two companies selling such devices, has warned consumers there is "no scientific proof" for the gadgets.
For pregnant women, RadiaShield Technologies Inc., New York, offers a $59 T-shirt made with silver fibers it says lab tests have found blocks nearly all radiation. Scientists say that metal does reflect and absorb radiation, so the approach seems reasonable. The company also offers a blanket women can drape over their bellies when using a cellphone.
There is an app called tawkon, which mines the data inside smartphones to determine how much radiation a person gets, according to Tawkon Ltd., of Herzliya, Israel. Low levels of radiation show up on an icon on the phone's screen as green; intermediate levels as yellow; and higher levels as red. The app is available for some BlackBerry phones and Android models. If you're in the red zone, the app displays a suggestion, such as using a headset, holding the phone fully vertical or moving to a better reception area, where the cellphone will emit fewer radio waves. The catch is that, as Tawkon CEO Gil Friedlander says, there is no scientific basis for where to draw the line between red, yellow and green. Users can change the cutoffs as they choose. "We divided it arbitrarily," he says.
For iPhone and BlackBerry Curve users, there's a $40 case made by Pong Research LLC that contains thin pieces of gold that the Middleburg, Va., company says pulls radiation away from your head and releases it out the back of the phone. In tests by Cetecom Inc., a Milpitas, Calif., unit of Germany's Cetecom GmbH that tests radiation levels in cellphones, the case was found to reduce radiation from U.S. phones to a simulated model of the human head by 60% to 82%, Pong says. Cetecom scientist Heiko Strehlow confirmed its tests found that the Pong directs radiation away from the human head.
According to John Walls, spokesman for CTIA, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit wireless industry group, none of the precautions are necessary. The federal government already sets standards for the maximum amount of radiation a cellphone can emit, says Mr. Walls, and in normal use, cellphones emit far less than that.
The easiest way to cut exposure is to use a hands-free device that keeps the phone further from your head, says Devra Davis, an epidemiologist who is the author of "Disconnect," a book that raises concerns about the radiation.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704631504575532080633165038.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop
For frequent cellphone users, there are a number of products designed to cut exposure to cellphone radiation. Scientists say some gadgets don't work, but others may be a reasonable precaution.
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-AX295_aches1_DV_20101004163317.jpg
The tawkon app
Many scientists think cellphone radiation is safe, but others are concerned it can cause brain tumors or other cancers. "So far studies of cellphones haven't identified major problems, but there are important uncertainties," says Leeka Kheifets, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California in Los Angeles. Longer-term studies are needed since some types of brain tumors can take decades to grow—longer than cellphones have been in widespread use, she says.
A plethora of radiation-cutting options are popping up. One heavily marketed option are radiation shields, or tiny disks that stick on the phone and are supposed to neutralize radiation. The disks make no sense scientifically, says Louis Bloomfield, a professor of physics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. If the disk really does absorb and reflect radio waves, all it would do is ruin your reception "and you risk the cellphone turning up its intensity because it is having trouble communicating," he says.
The Federal Trade Commission, which has taken enforcement action against at least two companies selling such devices, has warned consumers there is "no scientific proof" for the gadgets.
For pregnant women, RadiaShield Technologies Inc., New York, offers a $59 T-shirt made with silver fibers it says lab tests have found blocks nearly all radiation. Scientists say that metal does reflect and absorb radiation, so the approach seems reasonable. The company also offers a blanket women can drape over their bellies when using a cellphone.
There is an app called tawkon, which mines the data inside smartphones to determine how much radiation a person gets, according to Tawkon Ltd., of Herzliya, Israel. Low levels of radiation show up on an icon on the phone's screen as green; intermediate levels as yellow; and higher levels as red. The app is available for some BlackBerry phones and Android models. If you're in the red zone, the app displays a suggestion, such as using a headset, holding the phone fully vertical or moving to a better reception area, where the cellphone will emit fewer radio waves. The catch is that, as Tawkon CEO Gil Friedlander says, there is no scientific basis for where to draw the line between red, yellow and green. Users can change the cutoffs as they choose. "We divided it arbitrarily," he says.
For iPhone and BlackBerry Curve users, there's a $40 case made by Pong Research LLC that contains thin pieces of gold that the Middleburg, Va., company says pulls radiation away from your head and releases it out the back of the phone. In tests by Cetecom Inc., a Milpitas, Calif., unit of Germany's Cetecom GmbH that tests radiation levels in cellphones, the case was found to reduce radiation from U.S. phones to a simulated model of the human head by 60% to 82%, Pong says. Cetecom scientist Heiko Strehlow confirmed its tests found that the Pong directs radiation away from the human head.
According to John Walls, spokesman for CTIA, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit wireless industry group, none of the precautions are necessary. The federal government already sets standards for the maximum amount of radiation a cellphone can emit, says Mr. Walls, and in normal use, cellphones emit far less than that.
The easiest way to cut exposure is to use a hands-free device that keeps the phone further from your head, says Devra Davis, an epidemiologist who is the author of "Disconnect," a book that raises concerns about the radiation.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704631504575532080633165038.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop