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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday December 16 2017, @10:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the known-by-the-state-of-California dept.

California recommends keeping cellphones/smartphones away from your body, as well as "reducing the use of cell phones to stream audio or video, or to download or upload large files":

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning against the hazards of cellphone radiation this week. Yes, the thing we are all addicted to and can't seem to put down is leaking electromagnetic radiation and now California has some guidance to safeguard the public.

The CDPH asks people to decrease their use of these devices and suggests keeping your distance when possible. "Although the science is still evolving, there are concerns among some public health professionals and members of the public regarding long-term, high use exposure to the energy emitted by cell phones," said CDPH director Dr. Karen Smith.

The warning comes after findings were offered up this week from a 2009 department document, which was published after an order from the Sacramento Superior Court. A year ago, UC Berkeley professor Joel Moskowitz initiated a lawsuit to get the department to release the findings after he started looking into whether mobile phone use increased the risk of tumors. A draft of the document was released in March, but the final release is more extensive.

Separately, a new study has linked non-ionizing radiation to an increased risk of miscarriage:

A study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage, providing new evidence regarding their potential health risks. The Kaiser Permanente study was published today in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group).

Non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields is produced when electric devices are in use and electricity is flowing. It can be generated by a number of environmental sources, including electric appliances, power lines and transformers, wireless devices and wireless networks. Humans are exposed to magnetic fields via close proximity to these sources while they are in use.

Exposure to Magnetic Field Non-Ionizing Radiation and the Risk of Miscarriage: A Prospective Cohort Study (open, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16623-8) (DX)

Also at Environmental Working Group.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 17 2017, @11:01PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 17 2017, @11:01PM (#611137)

    I see you won't let any technical knowledge stand in the way or you speculations.

    First of all, a microwave oven is a resonant chamber, which means there are standing waves, that could the hotter and colder spots in your food. With a single transmitter and no significant reflectors nearby, a cellphone will not do the same. Also, the overcooked and partially frozen food is caused by another effect; liquid water absorbs the microwave energy much more readily than frozen water, therefore the parts that have thawed will heat up much more, while the parts that are still frozen will only thaw slowly.

    A fetus isn't typically anywhere near the place where people generally hold their phones while talking on them, although women might hold it close to their womb if they are watching video and such. Phones are hardly used to make actual phone calls anymore.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 18 2017, @08:11AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 18 2017, @08:11AM (#611313)

    With a single transmitter and no significant reflectors nearby

    Not everyone uses their phone out in the open. Some use them in cars or trains or other stuff with significant reflectors.

    As for the fetus topic, the AC's post stated "it's hard to believe that the fetus would directly be affected by the radiation."

    Lastly you should check this out: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mind-control-by-cell/ [scientificamerican.com]

    A computer controlled the phone's transmissions in a double-blind experimental design, which meant that neither the test subject nor researchers knew whether the cell phone was transmitting or idle while EEG data were collected. The data showed that when the cell phone was transmitting, the power of a characteristic brain-wave pattern called alpha waves in the person's brain was boosted significantly. The increased alpha wave activity was greatest in brain tissue directly beneath to the cell phone, strengthening the case that the phone was responsible for the observed effect.

    Although the test subjects had been sleep-deprived the night before, they could not fall asleep for nearly one hour after the phone had been operating without their knowledge.

    Maybe it's another of those "irreproducible" junk studies, but maybe they did it right.

    BTW babies seem to need a lot of sleep, maybe fetuses too.