Exposure to Cell Phone and WiFi Radiation Likely Not Safe According to Research

Are Big Corporations Playing Down Health Risks of Cell Phone and WIFI Exposure?

Cell Phones And WIFI Radiation

Many people are fearing that exposure to radiation from mobile phones and WIFI signals may be putting their health at risk. This follows an increased sensitization by some scientists and advocacy groups on possible dangers.

In the midst of all this, device manufacturers and “expert organizations” suggest that there is nothing to worry about. Are they trying to cover up the health risks? You should be able to form your own opinion after reading this post to the end.

No Need to Worry About Radiation

As you may be aware, the radiation that comes from cell phones and wireless routers is the main source of concern.

Some people become more fearful after learning that Wi-Fi and phones have the same frequency as a microwave oven, which makes some people think that the radiation from these devices is bad as well.

However, some experts claim that there is nothing to worry about. That certainly makes you wonder why.

Radiation from a WIFI network or cell phone is lower than that of a microwave oven – by a very wide margin. The intensity of the former supposedly can be as much as 100,000 times lower. It is said that a highly advanced router delivers roughly 1 watt of microwave energy. In comparison, a typical consumer microwave oven produces around 700 watts!

Cell phones and WIFI have long-wave radio frequencies. These make them less likely to do any damage compared to short wavelength radiation, such as the one coming from ultraviolet rays and gamma rays.

Another reason why radiation from mobile devices and WIFI signals are thought to be less harmful is their non-ionizing nature. Unlike ultraviolet or gamma rays, they cannot ionize atoms. Regular exposure to ionizing radiation, including X-ray, on the other hand, can mutate body cells and increase the risk of cancer.

The type of radiation that comes from cell phones and WIFI signals is more commonplace than many realize. Your TV, radio, and even baby monitors emit radiation. You must also be aware that the sun does the same too.

Radiation Does Not Cause Cancer

Talking about cancer, the consensus among many reputable organizations appears to be that radiation from cell phones and WIFI may not be an issue.

Probably WHO (World Health Organization) wanted to be on the safe side when they declared it as possibly carcinogenic. An expert working group set up by the organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) noted that findings suggesting possible association could not be dismissed simply due to observed shortcomings. Expert organizations often claim a lack of definitive and very convincing scientific evidence.

There is no solid scientific evidence as to whether cell phones can cause cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also reported failure in replicating studies showing biological changes from exposure to radio-frequency energy from these devices.

The National Cancer Institute notes that the only common observation, in terms of radio-frequency energy effect on humans, is tissue heating.

Is the public Being Deceived?

If you did read the first part, you may be wondering by now whom to believe. The health risks we discussed in that article had studies backing them up. Yet, here are some organizations and agencies people look to for protection saying there is not much, if any, to worry about.

Are people being taken for a ride? Could some big corporations be in the background trying to cover up the dangers of these technologies?

You won’t be wrong suspecting a possible foul play somewhere. Evidence from the tobacco industry gives good enough reason to think this way. Players in that industry, for long, denied the risk of smoking.

Cynics believe that major corporations may be trying to subvert research findings pointing to the health risks of cell phone and WIFI use. They think that such companies are sponsoring studies that disprove the health risk findings.

In an analysis, scientist Henri Lai evaluated an equal split of studies that confirmed the dangers of non-ionizing radiation and those that didn’t. A closer examination revealed that around 67 percent of studies that weren’t sponsored by companies in the wireless industry showed biological effects. Only about 28 percent of those funded by such corporations reported effects on people.

Does that tell you anything? You are probably seeing a cover-up somewhere.

The Interphone Study, a long-term, large-scale study to assess whether cell phone use raises the risk of certain tumors, including glioma and meningioma, reported biological effects. And this was in spite of a research design that was intended to reduce the likelihood of finding any, according to Dr. Magda Havas.

Be On the Safer Side!

It appears that the best you can do for yourself in the midst of this uncertainty or confusion is to make conscious efforts to reduce the exposure. You won’t really lose anything by doing so if the emitted radiation is indeed harmless. And you will be glad you did if the reverse happens to be the case.

It is especially better to be on the side of caution about this matter, considering government regulations have failed to keep up. They are mostly not enough to ensure protection for consumers. In most, if not all cases, these guidelines are based on research done many years ago. There are also several things that these didn’t take into consideration, particularly the current usage pattern of radiation-emitting devices.

Essentially, this means you need to be proactive about protecting yourself against this radiation. Here are a couple of things you can start with:

Reduce usage – You can help yourself by reducing how often you use cell phones and WIFI-enabled devices. This might sound difficult given how attached many people are to them, but it is not impossible. Avoid making long calls on your mobile phones. Unless doing something productive, your laptop’s WIFI shouldn’t be kept on for long.

Maintain a distance – Another helpful way for avoiding possible health effects is to maintain a reasonable distance when using radiation-emitting devices. It appears you need to worry most about cell phones. You supposedly get from a 20-minute call an amount of radiation equivalent to WIFI exposure for a full year!

Therefore, you should consider using wired earphones or headsets when making calls with your cell phone. These can help to drastically cut down the amount of radiation exposure to your head and brain. You should still keep the phones away from your body, even when you are not making calls.

It may also help to stop using a laptop on your lap, except for short durations. You may maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from a wireless router.

Several expert organizations do not think that you should bother much about cell phone and WIFI exposure. But note that it is not yet entirely clear the amount of radiation from these technologies that are safe for humans. Therefore, protective measures are advisable, especially for pregnant women and young children.

References

National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Cell Phones and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet. Retrieved August 5, 2023, from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet

American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Cellular Phones. Retrieved August 5, 2023, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/cellular-phones.html

Choi, Y.-J., Moskowitz, J. M., Myung, S.-K., Lee, Y.-R., & Hong, Y.-C. (2020). Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8079. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218079