Reduce your exposure to cellphones’ radio-frequency emissions

Reduce your exposure to cellphones’ radio-frequency emissions * Use cellphones for shorter conversations or when a conventional phone is not available.* Switch to a type of cellphone with a hands-free device that will place more distance between the antenna and the user. The antenna emits the radio-frequency waves. Placing a phone next to the head exposes the brain to this radiation -- although it’s still not known if this low level of radiation is harmful.* Limit children’s cellphone use to reduce their exposure to radio-frequency radiation at a time when their brains are still developing -- and to reduce lifetime exposure.* In the car, use an external antenna mounted outside of the vehicle. This is to keep the antenna, the source of radio-frequency emissions, away from the body.* Keep the phone away from your body when it’s turned on. For example, don’t clip it to your belt. * Be wary of cellphone products that claim to be radio-frequency shields. They may not work as advertised.* The Federal Communications Commission requires cellphone makers to report the amount of radio-frequency energy absorbed from the phone into the user’s tissues. This number is called the Specific Absorption Rate, or SAR. Cellphones may vary in their SAR value but cannot exceed 1.6 watts per kilogram of body weight. Check your phone’s SAR value at the Federal Communications Commission website: www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety.Sources: Food and Drug Administration, American Cancer Society, Federal Communications Commission