Your Cell Phone's Missing Health Advisory

Radio Frequencies Got You Down?

I think a lot about the impacts of cell phones on our mental and emotional health, but a friend recently reminded me that they have a strong impact on our physical health, too. Not only are we spending an average of three hours and fifteen minutes hunched over our phones daily, which has implications for our spinal and optical health, but we hear little about the effect of electromagnetic fields and radio frequencies (RF) emitted by our devices.
I remember buying a cell phone in France back in 2008 and receiving a health warning tucked in with the user manual. In Europe, it’s common to see graphic health warnings on cigarette packets, so I didn’t pay it much mind, chalking it up to the fact that Europeans are more risk-averse than Americans. Also, I was in my early twenties—invincible and immortal. I threw that health warning in the trash and haven’t thought about it since.
Then, I started hearing about something called the PhoneGate scandal, during which France’s National Frequency Agency disclosed that 9 out of 10 phones exceeded the manufacturer’s reported radiation test levels when tested the way they are used—in contact with the body. This was back in 2015 and while the scandal caused a big stir in Europe, leading 13 phone models to be recalled, I can’t remember hearing anything about this in the American mainstream news outlets.
This article in The Guardian, The Inconvenient Truth About Cancer and Mobile Phones, details how, “like the tobacco and fossil-fuel industries, the wireless industry has “war-gamed” science by funding studies friendly to the industry while attacking studies that raise questions; placing industry-friendly experts on advisory bodies such as the World Health Organisation and seeking to discredit scientists whose views differ from the industry’s.”
Nevertheless, a 2018 study on Wistar rats found that “cell phone RF exposure induced significant hormonal and structural changes in adrenal gland and brain tissues” and concluded that “the public should be aware and limit their exposure as much as possible.” The connection between cell phone usage and cancer risk is still inconsistent, mainly because of the experimental nature of these studies and the simple fact that cell phones have only been used for a few decades, making longitudinal studies difficult at this point in time.
When I read this radical guide to spending less time on your phone, I was surprised when the author suggested buying a smartwatch and airpods. In his view, when used intentionally, these gadgets allow users to keep their phones at a distance instead of the palm of their hands. Learning what I know now about the potentially dangerous radio frequencies emitted by our phones, maybe this guy is onto something. Since we aren’t 100% certain what the effect of cell phones are on our health, it’s not a bad idea to take precautions. If smartwatches and airpods allow us to keep our phones at a distance, this might improve our relationship with our phones in more ways than one; by limiting our direct contact with our phones, we are counteracting their addictive nature and also minimizing our exposure to harmful frequencies.
According to the reading I’ve done, it’s a good idea to keep a distance of about 15 inches from your body and your phone. One of my friends was complaining the other day on Facebook about people using the loudspeakers on their phones, and I must say that I’m guilty of this habit (although I try not to in public). It frees up my hands if I can have my phone on speaker and carry on a conversation that way (earbuds annoy me). And while my yelling into the phone speaker might annoy my loved ones, I have a stronger case now! I’m simply trying to put as much space between myself and my phone—for the love of my brain!
Digital Health Tip of the Week
Try to keep your phone at least 15 inches from your body this week. (That's about two hand widths with your fingers spread.) Let me know how it goes, and what helpful tips you learned in the process!
Digital Health Around the Web
The latest New Yorker magazine is their technology issue. I particularly enjoyed this essay by Andrew Marantz, which challenges the “dominant narrative about the history of technology—the triumphalist one.”
Cal Newport writes for Outside about an experiment he conducted with 1,600 frustrated smartphone users to abstain from “optional personal technology” for 30 days.
Did you know that taking pictures often lets your brain off the hook from remembering these moments? Manoush Zomorodi writes about the “photo-taking impairment effect.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the research behind phones and health, read the European Parliament’s latest briefing.
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