14 DAY TRIAL // The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a public warning discussing the risk of cellphone radiation, recommending against keeping smartphones close to the body all the time.
CDPH explains that electromagnetic radiation increases in a number of scenarios, such as when talking on the phone, admitting that while the risks of cellphone use are not entirely known right now, “long-term, high use may impact human health,” according to a number of researches.
In short, smartphones emit radio frequency energy when communicating with cell towards, and the amount of electromagnetic radiation that we are exposed to increases when talking on the phone, signal is low, downloading files, or in a fast-moving vehicle.
These are the moments when we should “reduce or avoid using the cell phone,” the CDPH says, while also adding that we should not sleep with the phone in the bed or near the head and take off the headset when we’re not on a call.
Use the speaker option
The phone must be at least a couple of meters away from the bed, it continues, and headsets themselves could pose a health hazard because they also emit RF energy when a call is not under way.
The department goes on to recommend against carrying the phone in a pocket, bra, or belt holster, saying it’s recommended to keep it in a backpack, purse, or briefcase.
“Because your phone’s antenna tries to stay connected with a cell tower whenever it’s on, it emits some RF energy even when you are not using it. It does not emit RF energy when it’s in airplane mode. (Airplane mode turns off cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.)” it says.
There are also advices that most of us will probably continue to ignore, such as avoiding talking on the phone with the device close to the head, as it’s recommended to do this using the speakerphone or a headset, which generates less RF energy than the smartphone itself.