As you answer yourself this question, pay attention to each of the ten points argued about precautions we should consider while using a cellphone.
Read the article and in groups of three
discuss your point of view towards the article.
Number and explain the points in which you
agree with and the ones in which you disagree and explain them to the group.
The Ten Precautions
of Cell Phone Use
Given the absence of definitive proof
in humans of the carcinogenic effects of electromagnetic fields of cell phones,
we cannot speak about the necessity of preventative measures (as for tobacco or
asbestos). In anticipation of more definitive data covering prolonged periods
of observation, the existing data press us to share important prudent and
simple measures of precaution for cell phone users, as have been variously
suggested by several national and international reports.
These measures are also likely to be
important for people who are already suffering from cancer and who must avoid
any external influence that may contribute to disease progression.
1. Do not allow children to use a cell
phone except for emergencies. The developing organs of a fetus or child are the
most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to
electromagnetic fields.
2. While communicating using your cell
phone, try to keep the cell phone away from the body as much as possible. The
amplitude of the electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance
of two inches and fifty times lower at three feet. Whenever possible, use the
speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth headset, which has less than 1/100th
of the electromagnetic emission of a normal cell phone. Use of a headset
attachment may also reduce exposure.
3. Avoid using your cell phone in
places, like a bus, where you can passively expose others to your phone’s
electromagnetic fields.
4. Avoid carrying your cell phone on
your body at all times. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under
the pillow or on a 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 cell phone on
you, it is preferable that the keypad is positioned toward your body and the
back is positioned toward the outside of your body. Depending on the thickness
of the phone this may provide a minimal reduction of exposure.
6. Only use your cell
phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting a few minutes as the
biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure. For longer
conversations, use a land line with a corded phone, not a cordless phone, which
uses electromagnetic emitting technology similar to that of cell phones.
7. Switch sides regularly while
communicating on your cell phone to spread out your exposure. Before putting
your cell phone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up. This
limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the
duration of your exposure.
8. Avoid using your cell phone when the
signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as 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, 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 is a measure of the strength of
the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by
different manufacturers are available by searching for “sar ratings cell
phones” on the internet.
CONCLUSION
The cell phone is a remarkable
invention and a breakthrough of great social importance. Our society will no
longer do without cell phones. None of the members on the expert committee has
stopped or intends to stop using cell telephones. This includes Dr. David
Servan-Schreiber, a 16 year survivor of brain cancer. However, we, the users,
must all take precautionary measures in view of recent scientific data on the
biological effects of cell phone use, especially those who already have cancer.
In addition, manufacturers and service
providers must also assume responsibility. It is their responsibility to
provide appliances and equipment with the lowest possible risk and to
constantly evolve their technology in this direction. They should also
encourage consumers to use their devices in a way that is most compatible with
preserving their health.
In the early 1980’s, the owners of
asbestos mines were reduced to bankruptcy as a result of lawsuits brought by
the families of deceased exposed workers. A few years later, a key executive of
Johns Manville, the most prominent company, drew lessons from the years of
struggle of his industry against medical data and the scientists who were
drawing attention to the risks of asbestos. He concluded with regret that
greater warnings for the public, the establishment of more effective
precautions, and more extensive medical research "could have saved lives,
and probably also shareholders, the industry, and the benefits of its product.”
We call on the cell phone companies to
provide independent access to records of use so that appropriate studies can be
carried out.
That is what we wish for today's cell
phone industry. We do not need to ban this technology, but to adapt it – to
harness it – so that it never becomes a major cause of illness.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERT COMMITTEE
* Bernard Asselain, MD, Chief of the
Cancer Biostatistics Service, Curie Institute, Paris, France
* Franco Berrino, MD, Director of the
Department of Preventative and Predictive Medicine of the National Cancer
Institute, Milan, Italy
* Thierry Bouillet, MD Oncologist,
Director of the Radiation Institute, Avicenne University Hospital Center
Avicenne, Bobigny, France
* David Carpenter, MD, Director
Institute for Health and the Environment, University of Albany, former Dean,
School of Public Health
* Christian Chenal, MD, Emeritus
Professor of Oncology, University of Rennes 1, France and former director of
the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) team “Radiation,
Environment, Adaptation”
* Pr Jan Willem Coebergh, Oncologist,
Department of Public Health, University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
* Yvan Coscas, MD Oncologist, Chief of
the Department of Radiotherapy, Hôpital de Poissy St Germain, France
* Pr Jean-Marc Cosset, Honorary Chief
of Oncology/Radiotherapy of the Curie Institute, Paris, France
* Pr Devra Lee Davis, Director, Center
for Environmental Oncology of University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, USA
* Michel Hery, MD Oncologist, Chief of
the Department of Radiotherapy, Princess Grace Hospital Center, Monaco
* Pr Ronald Herberman, Director of the
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, USA
* Pr Lucien Israël, Emeritus Professor
of Oncology, University of Paris XIII, Member of the Institut de France
* Pr N. van Larebeke, MD, PhD, Study
Centre for Carcinogenesis and Primary Prevention of Cancer, Ghent University,
Belgium
* Jacques Marilleau, SUPELEC PhD,
former physicist at the ‘Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique’ and at CNRS Orsay,
France
* Jean-Loup Mouysset, MD Oncologist,
Polyclinique Rambot-Provençale, Aix-en-Provence, France
* Philippe Presles, MD, President of
the Institut Moncey for Prevention and Health, Paris, France - Author of «
PREVENIR », Editions Robert Laffont, 2006
* Pr Henri Pujol, PhD Oncologist,
former President of the National Federation Cancer Centers, France
* Joël de Rosnay, PhD, Former Assistant
Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA,
Scientific writer
* Simone Saez, PhD, former Director of
the Cancer Biology unit of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Lyon, France
* Annie Sasco, MD, Doctor of Public
Health, Medical epidemiologist, Director of the Epidemiology Team for Cancer
Prevention – INSERM, University Victor Segalen, Bordeaux 2, France
* David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD,
Doctor of Science, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh,
Author of “ANTICANCER – A New Way of Life”, Viking
* Patrick Souvet, MD, Cardiologist,
President of the Association Santé Environnement Provence, Aix-en-Provence,
France
* Pr Dan Wartenberg, Chief, Division of
Environmental Epidemiology, UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
* Jacques Vilcoq, MD, Oncologist,
Clinique Hartmann, Neuilly-sur-seine, France
Taken from:
http://www.seniorwomen.com/news/index.php/the-ten-precautions-of-cell-phone
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