On 15 June, worldwide scientists and cancer specialists issued a series of recommendations on the health effects of mobile phone use. Coordinated by Dr David Servan Schreiber, University of Pittsburgh and author of “Anticancer”, the common statement highlights the potential health damages from mobile phone use due to electromagnetic waves, and calls for precaution.

According to current literature, electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones are suspected to be the cause of tumors. Several sound scientific studies proved that heavy use of mobile phone increases the risk to develop a tumour. This is a long term process though, and it is hard to predict with significant certainty the role of mobile phones in the development of ill-health conditions in the future. However, a Swedish study already found that the heavy use of a mobile phone on the right ear doubles the risk of cancerous tumour on this side of the brain.

Children are especially vulnerable to electromagnetic fields. Given the risk for children and the uncertainty about electromagnetic fields, worldwide scientists call for the use of the precaution principle on these issues. They made 10 recommendations:

1- Do not allow children under 12 years of age to use a mobile phone except in emergencies. The developing organs (of a fetus or child) are the most sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

2- While communicating using your mobile phone, try to keep the mobile phone away from the body. Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode, or a hands-free kit equipped with an air tube in the last 20 centimeters, which seems to transmit fewer electromagnetic waves than a traditional hands-free kit, or a wireless Bluetooth headset.

3- As much as possible, stand away from a person using their mobile phone, and avoid using your mobile phone in places like the subway, the train or the bus where you can passively expose your neighbors to your phone’s magnetic fields.

4- Avoid carrying your mobile phone on your body at all times, even on standby. Do not keep it near your body at night (under the pillow or on the bedside table) particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on “flight” or “off-line” mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.

5- If you must carry your mobile phone on you, make sure that the face (key pad) is positioned toward your body and the back (antenna side - stronger magnetic field) is positioned toward the outside.

6- Only use your mobile phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting only a few minutes (biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure). It is best to call back from a land line with a cord (not from a cordless phone, which uses microwave technology similar to that of mobile phones).

7- Switch sides regularly and, before putting your mobile phone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up (which limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted).

8- Avoid using your mobile phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, as in a car or train (this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna).

9- When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call (thus limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body).

10- Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption Rate, which measures the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR rankings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers are available here.

Thanks to these guidelines, individuals can protect themselves against a potential risk of cancer while waiting for governments to take action and protect populations.

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