In this video, Dr, Aly Cohen, founder of The Smart Human, discusses safe use of tech gadgets.
There are over 14 billion wireless transmitting devices globally, with over 8 billion cell phones in use, many in countries where there are more cell phones than people. WiFi technology includes in-home WiFi servers, baby monitors, smart appliances, in-home water and electricity meters, alarm systems, printers, and more. And full disclosure, I love my cell phone. But cell phones and other wireless devices emit bursts of wireless non-ionizing radiation called radio frequency, or electromagnetic radiation, EMF. They are essentially two-way microwave radios, which send and receive silent invisible signals from a cell phone tower at around 900 times per minute.
Over a dozen government and major medical organizations, and hundreds of medical doctors, recommend limiting your cell phone and WiFi use due to health risks. Kids and teens are especially at risk from this radiation because their brains and bodies are still developing. Their skulls are smaller, thinner, and have more bone marrow, which means that WiFi radiation travels more easily through the skull. Their developing brains have more water content and less myelin. So signals travel deeper into the brain tissue on PET scanning images. A child’s brain and skull absorb up to 10 times more invisible wireless radiation than an adult’s. Research studies show radio frequency radiation can damage brain cells, sperm, and the ovaries, resulting in greater rates of infertility. Other risks of exposure include certain types of brain tumors, such as gliomas and acoustic neuromas.
In 2011, the World Health Organization gave cell phone radiation group 2B designation as a possible carcinogen, and the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to reinforce its recommendation that parents should limit their use of cell phones by children and teens. By reducing cell phone and wireless radiation exposure, it can also improve sleep and concentration, and reduce anxiety and headaches. So, here are some reasonable cell phone and WiFi tech gadget safety tips.
Keep your phone away from your body and head. Turn off your phone or turn on airplane mode at bedtime. Use headsets, preferably air tube, and speaker phone when possible. Don’t carry your cell phone in your bra, shirt, or front pants pocket, especially if you’re pregnant. And remember, with radiation, distance is your friend. Choose texting over voice calls. Phones emit less radiation when texting, but remember to text away from your body.
Use a corded home phone or use ethernet cords rather than WiFi. Even though they’re called laptops, avoid using your laptop computer on your lap to avoid radiation to vulnerable parts of your body. Cell phones are not toys. Limit cell phone and other technology use with young children and teen to lower their exposure. And as enticing as these products may sound, try to avoid buying ridiculous WiFi gadgets like baby teethers, pacifiers, and teddy bears rigged with WiFi. These toys lack adequate safety testing and standards, and only increase children’s exposure to wireless emissions.
For kids, download games to tablets and then turn on airplane mode, or all WiFi antenna off while they play. And certainly, don’t text on your cell phone while driving or walking. A few seconds of distraction can be deadly. For more on this topic, go to EHTrust.org.
I share these prevention tips and more on TheSmartHuman.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks for joining me. I’m Dr. Aly Cohen. And remember, when it comes to our environment and our health, you too can be the smart human.
The Smart Human LLC. seeks to educate, coach, and empower everyday people to make safer, smarter choices for human health. Our goal is to help hospitals, schools, and manufacturers, make changes to reduce unsafe chemical exposure of the children and adults that they serve. It’s a lofty goal, but it has to start somewhere! I hope you will join us on this mission.
