Cell Phone Radiation

[Bonhomme]

Bottom line: what are the best options available to minimize cell phone radiation exposure while retaining conversational privacy?

Are there workable air tube or other headsets that transmit sounds mechanically available?

 

[Axcell]

^^ I'm waiting for those exact answers as well.

 

[Manolo]

In a few decades you will see people having brain tumors because they use cell phones without an ear piece. Like a few people said above, they don't tell you about it because the cell phone world is a Billion dollar business. I would use ear piece with chord, the bluetooth headsets indeed help protect you from radiation but not as much as the chord would. I use speaker phone most of the time.

 

[Bonhomme]

There have been times when people were given advice not to put burned hands in cold water and vice-versa .

It does not make sense to me that a cord to a headpiece would be a better antenna than the cell phone antenna, especially when one holds the phone or sets it down on something above their head, as I do. It also stands to reason that the location of the tower would come into play, and the closest point that has the best characteristics for an antenna would get the most signal.

In the spirit of putting ice on a burn, it makes sense to me to use a headpiece and have the phone as high as possible, so the signal can be transmitted and received at the antenna as much as possible, away from your head.

 

[noit77]

I think - as mentioned before - Bluetooth might be an idea.

I've just looked up in the Wikipedia:
"Bluetooth uses the microwave radio frequency spectrum in the 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz range. Maximum power output from a Bluetooth radio is 1 mW, 2.5 mW, and 100 mW for Class 3, Class 2, and Class 1 devices respectively, which puts Class 1 at roughly the same level as cell phones, and the other two classes much lower.[25] Accordingly, Class 2 and Class 3 Bluetooth devices are considered less of a potential hazard than cell phones, and Class 1 may be comparable to that of cell phones, which are of little concern."

A GSM cell phone seems to have 1-2W power, so you could reduce the sending power by factor 1000 for Class 3 Bluetooth devices.

 

[SmoothTalker]

Guys, please learn some physics.

Now I know there are other cases like aspartame (which I personally avoid like the plague) etc, but cell phones are an entirely different story.

They ARE SAFE for lots of reasons. First of all, there are two types of radiation, ionizing and non-ionizing. This refers to whether the radiation can knock electrons out of their orbits.

Dangerous radiation is ionizing, and is basically anything of a HIGHER frequency/shorter wavelength than visible light. That's why there's concern about Ultraviolet (above visible light) radiation, x-rays, etc.

Anything below UV is non-ionizing, and the only interaction it can have with matter is to heat it up.

Below light there are radio waves, microwaves, and infrared light. Some of you may find it interesting that microwaves are actually lower energy than light, but they are. The only reason they are so effective for cooking food is that their wavelength is exactly the same size as the chemical bonds in a water molecule. This causes the water molecules to vibrate, which is heat.

Now, cell phones are, believe it or not, simply complicated radios. That means they use RADIO frequencies. Yep, same things that we've been broadcasting for a hundred years now for communication, music, TV, etc. We've also been bombarded with radio waves since the beginning of time from space.

Furthermore, we can't send radio waves like a laser from one point to the other. Both the cell phone and the reception tower simply radiate in all directions, so whether you are using the phone or not, you're getting sapped from all directions.

I guess cell phones are slightly scarier than your home radio because they also transmit back. However, the average cell phones transmission power is about 3 watts.

Lots of our light bulbs are 200 Watts, and Microwaves are commonly 1000W or more.

So here we have something putting out energy several orders of magnitude less powerful than visible light, in much smaller amounts.

All that will happen is the radio waves will pass right through you, not interacting with any of your cells in the smallest way. PERHAPS if you talk long enough, some small part of you will become 0.5 degrees warmer, but sitting in the sun for 5 minutes will do that to you also.

There's a lot of bad things in the world these days killing us, but electronics are NOT.

 

[Master Bates]

Cell phones may be today's biggest killer, but I have a secret weapon to repel those evil voodoo rays-- the tinfoil hat! I wear it all the time. No tumors for me.

 

[Manolo]

Guys, please learn some physics.

Now I know there are other cases like aspartame (which I personally avoid like the plague) etc, but cell phones are an entirely different story.

They ARE SAFE for lots of reasons. First of all, there are two types of radiation, ionizing and non-ionizing. This refers to whether the radiation can knock electrons out of their orbits.

Dangerous radiation is ionizing, and is basically anything of a HIGHER frequency/shorter wavelength than visible light. That's why there's concern about Ultraviolet (above visible light) radiation, x-rays, etc.

Anything below UV is non-ionizing, and the only interaction it can have with matter is to heat it up.

Below light there are radio waves, microwaves, and infrared light. Some of you may find it interesting that microwaves are actually lower energy than light, but they are. The only reason they are so effective for cooking food is that their wavelength is exactly the same size as the chemical bonds in a water molecule. This causes the water molecules to vibrate, which is heat.

Now, cell phones are, believe it or not, simply complicated radios. That means they use RADIO frequencies. Yep, same things that we've been broadcasting for a hundred years now for communication, music, TV, etc. We've also been bombarded with radio waves since the beginning of time from space.

Furthermore, we can't send radio waves like a laser from one point to the other. Both the cell phone and the reception tower simply radiate in all directions, so whether you are using the phone or not, you're getting sapped from all directions.

I guess cell phones are slightly scarier than your home radio because they also transmit back. However, the average cell phones transmission power is about 3 watts.

Lots of our light bulbs are 200 Watts, and Microwaves are commonly 1000W or more.

So here we have something putting out energy several orders of magnitude less powerful than visible light, in much smaller amounts.

All that will happen is the radio waves will pass right through you, not interacting with any of your cells in the smallest way. PERHAPS if you talk long enough, some small part of you will become 0.5 degrees warmer, but sitting in the sun for 5 minutes will do that to you also.

There's a lot of bad things in the world these days killing us, but electronics are NOT.

I actually have a Bachelor in Physics, and I know for a fact that they are dangerous, so thanks for the lesson.
Go find out what frequency they broadcast on buddy, RADIATION IS RADIATION, they can fry an egg if it wanted to, imagine what it is doing to your brain.

WEAR A EAR PIECE OR USE SPEAKER and you lower your risks, WHOEVER SAYS THAT CELL PHONES DON'T DO DAMAGE IS A MORON.

 

[SmoothTalker]

Damn, I typed up a long and detailed reply but lost it, so I'll summarize.

I know what frequencies cell phones operate on, ranges from about 850 MHz to 1800 MHz. Even visible light is several orders of magnitude higher energy.

See http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/mod3.html#c1 . I'm sure you already learned all this stuff, but unless you can explain to me why it's wrong, it would seem that it contradicts you.

Further, the whole cooking an egg thing is a hoax. Have you done it yourself? No, probably read it on slashdot.

Ha ha, Mr. physics major fell for an online prank. http://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/how_to_cook_an_egg_and_create_a_viral_sensation.php

Further, I can't find any links, but I believe the BBC and some science show tried to do this with much more radiation (100 cell phones) and the egg didn't even get warm.

Radiation is NOT all the same. We get huge daily doses of Visible light, but would die pretty fast from gamma rays if they were able to penetrate the atmosphere.

Like I said in my first post, perhaps phones do produce a little bit of heat, but your body can handle that. Just like your arm doesn't cook if it gets warm in the sun, your body can transfer heat throughout your body through circulation, and can also get rid of it through sweating, etc.

Unless you can explain and prove to us how and why cell phones are dangerous (without relying on online pranks as evidence), then it would seem you're the MORON.

 

[Manolo]

Damn, I typed up a long and detailed reply but lost it, so I'll summarize.

I know what frequencies cell phones operate on, ranges from about 850 MHz to 1800 MHz. Even visible light is several orders of magnitude higher energy.

See http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/mod3.html#c1 . I'm sure you already learned all this stuff, but unless you can explain to me why it's wrong, it would seem that it contradicts you.

Further, the whole cooking an egg thing is a hoax. Have you done it yourself? No, probably read it on slashdot.

Ha ha, Mr. physics major fell for an online prank. http://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/how_to_cook_an_egg_and_create_a_viral_sensation.php

Further, I can't find any links, but I believe the BBC and some science show tried to do this with much more radiation (100 cell phones) and the egg didn't even get warm.

Radiation is NOT all the same. We get huge daily doses of Visible light, but would die pretty fast from gamma rays if they were able to penetrate the atmosphere.

Like I said in my first post, perhaps phones do produce a little bit of heat, but your body can handle that. Just like your arm doesn't cook if it gets warm in the sun, your body can transfer heat throughout your body through circulation, and can also get rid of it through sweating, etc.

Unless you can explain and prove to us how and why cell phones are dangerous (without relying on online pranks as evidence), then it would seem you're the MORON.

You say that they are ok, but then you say the do SOME damage. Make up your mind. What cell phone company do you work for?
The point is what they will do in the LONG RUN, now you won't see anything ... JUST WAIT A DECADE OR TWO.

You talk about Household devices and how they emit radiation and they don't cause harm ..

BUT, How many people do you know that stick their ears against their TV or microwave when they use them??

 

[SmoothTalker]

Good job on ignoring what I pointed out about the egg, as well as that other website, which I"m guessing you didn't even look at.

And I maintain throughout my whole post that they do NO DAMAGE. Heat is not damage, that was my whole point, the only thing they MAY do is generate a little bit of heat, but that does not DAMAGE you because your body can easily regulate heat.

I realize we don't stick our heads in the microwave, my point was just that microwaves are of a similar wavelength as cell phones, and yes they are able to generate heat (and that's all, not cancer or anything) but they require about 1000X more energy to do so.

So lets say a 1000W microwave can boil a cup of water in 2 minutes (probably longer). A cell phone putting out microwaves at about 1W would probably never be able to significantly heat that water.

And we're just talking about an isolated cup of water. Now lets pretend that this is actually not a cup of water but your brain, which gets washed over constantly with cooler fresh blood, cooling it down. Lets also keep in mind that even if your phone is able to raise the temperature of your brain by 1 degree (unlikely as it may be), this is not seriously dangerous. Fevers can raise this temperature much higher without permanent damage, and last time I checked heat does NOT CAUSE CANCER.

And for the record I do not and have never worked for any company even related to cell phones. I just don't like fear mongering.

 

[noit77]

Hi guys,
I think from a practical point of view the question is
not too difficult, given that the theoretical knowledge and the practical possibilities are limited. On the one hand, it is a fact that cell phones and electromagnetic waves are a part of today's life. On the other hand, nobody has been able to prove that cells phones are dangerous
or might cause any real health problems.
Like almost anything, they do interact with the living matter, like for ex. heating it, and there are studies that show this, but that does not mean, that the body would be unable to cope with it. It is a question of degree: Car pollution is unhealthy, but you do limit your exposure to it and the quantity is also small, so it does not really matter.
Sunlight might cause skin cancer, but it is usually no problem either.
So I would say that since it is not 100% sure what the health effects of cells phones are, one would use it only when necessary and for rather brief periods, minimizing emissions. But since they are already around on a large scale for maybe 7 years and there are no casualities, it is unlikely that cells phones are going to be a killer in the future.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

But since they are already around on a large scale for maybe 7 years and there are no casualities, it is unlikely that cells phones are going to be a killer in the future.

My family actually got our first cell phone in 94-95. Im sure alot of other people are approaching the 20 year mark too.

 

[Bonhomme]

People worked around asbestos for a long time, too, before awareness of its effects became widespread.

I don't want to "play dice" with it. EMFs of all types affect people's cells, and it stands to reason that EMFs with different characteristics have different effects. It comes down the degree and nature of the effects. But such radiation does tend to follow the inverse-square relationship, whatever its nature.

 

[Crazy Asian]

one of my friends had a chip on his cell phone that blocked the radiation. you should look into that, i'm not sure where to get it/how it works.

 

[SmoothTalker]

That chip sounds like a scam. You can't 'block' the radiation if you still want your phone to work, the radiation is how your phone communicates.

 

[bigjohnson]

We are bathed in EMF from natural and artificial sources, but if you're worried about it get either a wired or bluetooth hands free set. Also, this thing of "holding the cell above your head so it's above the headset wire" is so retarded I can't even start to think about how dumb you'd have to be to think that one up.

 

[Bonhomme]

Retarded? A signal will go to the closest transmission/receiver point. The idea is to stay out of its direct path.

Directionality is obviously most important, but you can only determine that if you know where the tower is.

 

[Vintovka]

Not to nitpick, but a small correction: EMF is Electromotive Force, aka voltage. Not exactly the same as Electromagnetic Radiation (connected, but not technically identical).

You misunderstand how signals transmit via EM waves Bon, as SmoothTalker pointed out earlier, cell towers and phones radiate (hence, radiation) their signals in all directions with equal power. It's not a direct beam from the end of your phone's antenna to the tower. Holding the phone a foot above your head would expose your brain to the same amount of energy as if you held it a foot below your head, nor would being between the phone and the tower make any difference on the amount of energy your body absorbed.

Interesting aside, even when you're not on your phone it's still talking to the towers, updating it's status/location and being handed between cells.

Additional aside, I'm laying off aspartame for a month to put my money where my mouth is; I know it's anecdotal but I don't really have the expertise or materials for a proper short-term, one man study


Edit: I suppose the EMF could also be Electromagnetic Field, but the circuits side of my brain kicked in before the physics.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

Not to nitpick, but a small correction: EMF is Electromotive Force, aka voltage. Not exactly the same as Electromagnetic Radiation (connected, but not technically identical).

You misunderstand how signals transmit via EM waves Bon, as SmoothTalker pointed out earlier, cell towers and phones radiate (hence, radiation) their signals in all directions with equal power. It's not a direct beam from the end of your phone's antenna to the tower. Holding the phone a foot above your head would expose your brain to the same amount of energy as if you held it a foot below your head, nor would being between the phone and the tower make any difference on the amount of energy your body absorbed.

Interesting aside, even when you're not on your phone it's still talking to the towers, updating it's status/location and being handed between cells.

Additional aside, I'm laying off aspartame for a month to put my money where my mouth is; I know it's anecdotal but I don't really have the expertise or materials for a proper short-term, one man study


Edit: I suppose the EMF could also be Electromagnetic Field, but the circuits side of my brain kicked in before the physics.

While agree entirely with your point, you must keep in mind one thing about keeping the phone at a distance. While you are right it wont affect the EM waves that the phone receives, it will reduce the power of the waves transmitted (by the phone) as they reach your head.



Oh, and for the record emf is no longer electromagnetic force. It is simply emf. (The word was kept as tradition but the acronym is severely inaccurate)