There's a lot of talk in the news these days about whether or not cell phones emit enough radiation to cause adverse health effects. The concern is that cell phones are often placed close to or against the head during use, which puts the radiation in direct contact with the tissue in the head.

For seven years, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) kept information and a set of guidelines, meant to inform the public about the health risks associated with cell phone radiation, well-hidden from the public. While invisible to the naked eye, high-tech devices including your mobile phone, laptop, and tablet all emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) which may be silently harming your health.

While cell phone companies and the government usually don’t talk about the dangers of cell phone radiation, they can no longer keep it a secret that there may be a problem. In fact, most user manuals of high-tech devices warn not to keep these devices too close to the body. Furthermore, it was recently found that Health officials in California drafted a secret document that contained concerns about cell phone radiation as early as 2010.

Cell phone use increases the risk of brain cancer and other health issues

The two-page document, titled “Cell Phones and Health,” summarizes scientific studies that suggest long-term use of cell phones may increase the risk of brain cancer and cause fertility problems, among other health issues. It explains that frequent use of EMF emitting cell phones kept close to the head and body can negatively effect nearby cells and tissues.

Reduce exposure to phone radiation

In the fact sheet, state health officials inform the public how to reduce the exposure to the radiation emitted from cell phones. They suggest to increase the distance between you and your phone by using a headset, the speaker phone function, and text messaging. They also recommend to keep phones away from your sleeping area and not carry them in your pockets or close to your body, unless they are switched off.

Simple precautions to reduce the levels of radiation you absorb from using your phone include:

• Moving your phone 20cm away from your head reduces radiation doses by about 98%. So instead of placing it under your pillow when going to bed, leave the phone at a bedside table.
• Hands free headsets dramatically reduce radiation emissions into the brain
• Try not to chat for hours on end or, if you must, get a hands free kit
• There are a few devices on the market that you can fit to your phone that reduce the emissions of radiation or allow the body to neutralise the effects, but beware of over-hyped promotions by these manufacturers using scare tactics to market their products.
• It's always sensible to take precautions where children are concerned as their developing brains and bodies are far more susceptible to radiation effects than adults, absorbing radiation at three times an adult's rate.

What is radiation?

Wireless technologies are ubiquitous today and the mobile phones are one of the prodigious output of this technology. Although the familiarization and dependency of mobile phones is growing at an alarming pace, the biological effects due to the exposure of radiations have become a subject of intense debate. Cell phones emit signals via radio waves, which are comprised of radio-frequency (RF) energy, a form of electromagnetic radiation. In a nutshell, radiation is energy that's travelling through space in the form of waves or particles. It occurs naturally and has always been around, we've evolved with it and we're bombarded with it in one form or another every day of our lives - from the earth, from space and even within our own bodies. Some experts suggest a little radiation is a good thing and we all know of its uses in medical science to combat and diagnose some illnesses. Cell phones have low-power transmitters in them. Most car phones have a transmitter power of 3 watts. A handheld cell phone operates on about 0.75 to 1 watt of power. The position of a transmitter inside a phone varies depending on the manufacturer, but it is usually in close proximity to the phone's antenna. The radio waves that send the encoded signal are made up of electromagnetic radiation propagated by the antenna.

Why is there concern that cell phones may cause cancer or other health problems?

There are three main reasons why people are concerned that cell phones (also known as “mobile” or “wireless” telephones) might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems:

·         Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy (radio waves), a form of non-ionizing radiation, from their antennas. Tissues nearest to the antenna can absorb this energy.

·         The number of cell phone users has increased rapidly. As of December 2014, there were more than 327.5 million cell phone subscribers in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. This is a nearly threefold increase from the 110 million users in 2000. Globally, the number of subscriptions is estimated by the International Telecommunications Union to be 5 billion.

·         Over time, the number of cell phone calls per day, the length of each call, and the amount of time people use cell phones have increased. However, improvements in cell phone technology have resulted in devices that have lower power outputs than earlier models.

Why Your Cellphone Has More Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat?

Cellphones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats, so it shouldn't be surprising that a man in Uganda reportedly contracted Ebola after stealing one.

He stole the phone from a quarantined ward of a hospital, near the site of a recent Ebola outbreak, reports said.

But regardless of your proximity to an Ebola outbreak, your cellphone is still probably pretty grimy, said Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona.

While toilets tend to get cleaned frequently, because people associate the bathroom with germs, cellphones and other commonly handled objects like remote controls, cell phones  are often left out of the cleaning routine. Cellphones pick up germs all the time and sharing of phones between people. Without sharing, each phone carries just one set of germs, and won't get its owner sick.

According to hygiene expert Jim Francis most unhygienic phone had more than ten times the acceptable level of bacteria and seven were above the threshold.

Worst handset also had 39 times the safe level of enterobacteria, a group of bacteria that live in the lower intestines of humans and animals and include bugs such as Salmonella.
It boasted 170 times the acceptable level of faecal coliforms, which are associated with human waste. Other bacteria including food poisoning bugs e.coli and staphylococcus aureus were found on the phones but at safe levels.

Source: www.cancer.gov, www.uswitch.com, naturalnews.com, ewg.org, livescience.com, dailymail.co.uk