What is Cell Phone Safety?
The last few years have seen some raging controversy on the usage of cell phones. Over 80% of the people in the world have access to cell phones. This figure will keep growing, with broadband joining the bandwagon. Evidence seems to be pouring in about the harm of 'Electromagnetic Radiation’ (EMR) from cell phones.
Before we raise an alarm about this device, we need more evidence. The preliminary scientific report gives us reason to alert members about the need to take certain precautions.
One of the first advice would be to keep cell phone usage to a minimum. Two minute call from the cell phone alters the natural electrical activity of the brain for up to an hour (1✔).
Top Facts and Tips on Cell Phone Safety
Statistics on Cell Phone Safety
- Distraction-affected fatal crashes have increased by 5.4% since 2011 (2✔).
- The percent of fatal distraction-affected crashes involving cell phone use in 2021 was 11.7% compared to 12.3% in 2020 (2✔).
- Around 3,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 due to distracted drivers (3✔).
- In the year of 2011 to 2020, the estimate of annual cell phone related injuries ranged from 3,389 to 7,320 (4✔).
- National estimate of cell phone related cases is high in the age group of 11-20 years (26.4%) (4✔).
- Women (59.6%) were more frequently affected than men (40.4%) (4✔).
Cell Phone Safety Tips
- Keep the handset at least 2 to 7 inches away from your head or use loudspeaker mode. It decreases the transmission of EMR to the brain significantly (5✔).
- Do not keep the cell phone close to your head when sleeping. Switch it off in the night or keep it 1.80 meters or 6 feet away from your head (6✔).
- If you keep your cell phone in pocket, keep the keypad towards you so that antenna faces away from you.
- Don’t use cell phones if pregnant. The developing organs of the fetus or child are most sensitive to potential effects of EMR exposure (7✔).
- Avoid using cell phones in "metal containers" such as vehicles, elevators, airplanes, trains, or any other type (8✔).
- Avoid using the wired headsets. If you do use headsets use an air tube headset with ferrite beads. Bluetooth are better as they emit 1/100th the EMR of a normal cell phone. With regular headsets you get 3 times more EMR than if you hold the cell phone against your ear (9✔).
- Cell phones are a big NO for kids under 15 years. Since currently brain tumors are the second leading cause of death in children.
- Keep cell phones away from newborns. EMR travels through children’s brains much more easily because thinner skulls and hence increases the risk of cancer (10✔).
- When buying a cell phone – look for one with a low Specific Absorption Rate(SAR) (11✔).
