Be safe using your cell phone

Thanks to Christine Hoch, executive director of the non-profit organization Moms for Safe Wireless, residents have had access to information on wireless technology and safety.

In June, Hoch gave two presentations at Eden Natural Market in Gainesville, where she discussed radiation emitted from cell phones, the latest research on health effects from cell phone use, cell phone safety tips, phone towers, Wi-Fi and dirty electricity. She also used meters to measure the radiofrequency radiation from participants' cell phones.

According to Hoch, although almost 4 billion people use cell phones throughout the world, cell phones were not tested for health effects prior to entering the marketplace. And while cell phones meet U.S. federal government guidelines for use, those guidelines are based on heating human tissue. Hoch maintains that more recent studies show biological changes take place with exposure to non-thermal specific absorption rate (SAR) levels below the federal standard.

Fifty percent of cell phone research indicates there is no increased health risk in using cell phones, Hoch said. How-ever, almost all cell phone studies that cover an exposure duration of 10 years or longer demonstrate the existence of an increased tumor risk in the head area.

Hoch said the literature indicates there is "significantly increased risk of glioma after mobile phone use of 10 and more years on the same side of the head used for making calls."

Hoch's research also showed that children are more vulnerable to the radiofrequency radiation from cell phones than adults. Because children's brains are less dense and more porous than adults, their brains absorb more radiation.

Hoch cited a 2005 article from the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics that confirmed children are espe-cially sensitive to all electromagnetic fields because their developing nervous systems are fragile, their brain tissues more conductive and their smaller skeletons more easily penetrated by the waves.

Findings also showed that some people exposed to electromagnetic radiation develop electrohypersensitivity, a physiological condition characterized by neurological and immunological symptoms that worsen after exposure to electric and magnetic fields or electromagnetic radiation.

Hoch relayed that symptoms may include concentration problems, memory lapses, pain or pressure in the head, throat and chest, poor balance, dizziness, ringing in the ears, fatigue, numbness in the affected area, poor sleep, eye irritation, or discolored and/or irritated skin.

In her presentations, Hoch offered cell phone safety tips to minimize radiation exposure, including:

* Minimize the time spent on cell phones;

* Use airtube headsets (not a Bluetooth);

* Use the cell speakerphone;

* Keep cell phones away from the body;

* Keep cell phones away from bedrooms;

* Allow children to text and speak on cell phones only in an emergency;

* Don't use a cell phone in a car, bus or train;

* Avoid wearing metal-rimmed glasses, which can absorb radiation, then re-emit it onto the eye;

* Remove Bluetooths when not in use.

Hoch said Moms for Safe Wireless is offering more services such as free "brown bag" lunch seminars throughout the Gainesville and Haymarket area. For more information, call 703-431-1558.