Steve Aoki, well-known musician and founder of Dim Mak Records, talks about taking precautionary measures when using the cell phone. Aoki mentions Dr. Devra Davis  and her book, Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry HasDone to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family. Dr. Davis is also the Founder and President of the Environmental Health Trust, which made this video.

Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family – Cellphone-Health BlogBy cellphone-health on Friday, April 15th, 2011 | No Comments Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family by: Devra Davis publisher: Dutton Adult, published: 2010-09-23 Dr. Devra Davis speaks about her book, Disconnect The much-anticipated, explosive expose of how cell phone use damages brain cells, especially in children, by one of the world’s foremost scientific experts in the field.

via Cellphone-health

To minimize the risk from the effects of cell phone radiation, Steve uses the speaker phone and the headset. There is some debate as to whether a regular wired headset can actually reduce the radiation from the phone. There have been studies that showed the wires from the headset may transmit the radio frequencies from the handset, along with ambient electromagnetic frequencies,  to the head. For best protection, we would recommend using an Air Tube Headset instead. You can learn more about the cell phone headset issue here.

Berkeley City has now posted information on its Public Health Division website regarding cell phone radiation health and safety concerns, providing links to the World Health Organization’s announcement not too long ago classifying mobile phone radiation as a carcinogen. This action was on the urging of the Environmental Health Trust and Community Health Commission. You can view the Public Division web page here.

The City Council also has on hold an ordnance similar to the San Francisco law requiring cell phone retailers to provide consumers with fact sheets regarding cell phone radiation at the point of sale. The SF ordnance is currently being contested in court by the CTIA, the Wireless Association, and Berkely City is adopting a wait-and-see attitude before acting on its own bill.

Here are the related stories:

City Council puts cellphone ordinance on hold
At its Tuesday meeting, the council approved a resolution to post information regarding cellphone radiation on the Public Health Division’s website — but some believe that this single step is not enough. According to city officials, …
www.dailycal.org

City to consider posting cell phone radiation information on its website
A woman uses her cell phone as she walks down Bancroft Way. Berkeley City Council will consider a resolution that would post online info regarding cell phone radiation. By Geena Cova | Staff Berkeley City Council will consider at its meeting Tuesday a …
www.dailycal.org

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1. Use the speakerphone. The cell phone radiation drops exponentially by distance. So the further away the phone is from your head, the better.

2. Limit use to essential calls and keep calls short. Even a two-minute call has been found to alter the natural electrical activity of the brain for up to an hour afterwards.

3. Children should be allowed to use the cell phone in cases of emergency only. Because of their developing skulls, the radiation can penetrate much more deeply.

4: Use an Air Tube Headset (not regular wired headset). Research has shown that regular wired headset could transmit radiation into the ear canal.

5: Don’t put the cell phone in your pocket or belt while in use or while it is on. Men who wear cell phones near their groin could have their sperm count dropped by as much as 30 percent, study shows.

6: If using phone without a headset, wait for the call to connect before placing phone next to the ear. Radiation level is higher while phone is still trying to make a connection.

7: Do not use the cell phone in enclosed metal spaces such as vehicles or elevators. Phones need more power to make connection; the metal enclosure also traps the radiation and reflects it back at the occupants.

8: Do not make a call when the signal strength is one bar or less. The phone must work harder to establish a connection and thus emits more radiation.

9: Buy a phone with low radiation rating (low radiation cell phones). The phone’s SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) can be found in manual. The lower the SAR value from FCC limit of 1.6 W/kg, the better.

10: Use scientifically proven cell phone radiation reducing or protection device.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a study that labels cell phone radiation as a possible carcinogen, a classification that puts it in the same category as lead, gas exhaust, and chloroform. The study was conducted by the organization’s International Agency for Research of Cancer (IARC), which included 31 scientists from 14 countries. This disclosure is based on research that has shown an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.

In an excerpt from the WHO/IARC press release, Dr Jonathan Samet (University of Southern California, USA), overall Chairman of the IARC Working Group, indicated that “the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.”

“Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings,” said IARC Director Christopher Wild, “it is important that additional research be conducted into the long‐term, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands‐free devices or texting. ”

You can read or download (in PDF format) the press release here.

The cell phone industry understandably reacted strongly to this WHO report and insists that there is no cause for concern based on available evidence. However, Dr. Henry Lai, a University of Washington scientist, in a review of available cell phone studies found an interesting correlation:
Non-industry funded studies: 67% show ill effects
Industry-funded studies: 28% show ill effects