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Safe
Sell
Does
your cell phone
wear a glove?
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The
cell phone has become as much a part of many students’ ensemble
as a backpack and day planner. In fact the amount of time that
the average person spends on the cell phone in many cases now
rivals the home phone. But increasing concerns about those electromagnetic
waves going to our head… literally, has lead to studies,
reports, and speculation as to how safe these cell phones actually
are. And while we may welcome the cell phone’s electromagnetic
waves hitting our brain as but one more way to explain away our
poor midterm marks, many researchers are concerned about their
short and long term affects. Are they a health risk? Increasingly
research is pointing to links with various health hazards. Perhaps
the most telling signal of all that cell phone emissions may be
harmful is that cell phone manufacturers themselves are taking
out patents on these radiation-reducing devices.
Of
course, where there’s fear, worry or apprehension, there
are those eager to jump in and make a buck off it. In this case
it’s through creating products to protect our noggins. Marketers
are peddling shields to protect you from these waves. But there’s
just one problem. They haven’t been proven to work. Perhaps
that is why the U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently brought
lawsuits against two companies for making false and unsubstantiated
claims about the effectiveness of these devices in protecting
cell phone users from harmful electromagnetic radiation they emit.
Stock
Value 1, Inc., which marketed the products: SafeTShield "8482;"
and "NoDanger” and Comstar Communications, Inc. (Comstar)
which markets the products named "WaveShield," "WaveShield
1000," and "WaveShield 2000." have been advertising
their products through radio, TV, print and the Internet.
Both
of these devises market a shield that fits over the ear piece
of the phone, and although you may occasionally get some harmful
signals coming through the ear piece from an angry ex, the real
harmful electromagnetic energy emitted by cellular and cordless
phones comes from the antenna and parts of the phone other than
the earpiece. Thus these shield devices may do nothing to protect
you from these major sources.
We
took a look for example at some of the web marketers and email
ads that are hawking these devices.
From
"WaveShield" site
“Wave Shield mobile phone radiation shields block up to 97%
of the near-field electromagnetic waves, shielding potentially
harmful radiation away from you”
From a __________ site.
, without
effecting the quality of the transmission.
______________ for example claims that the__________
Interestingly enough, there are a number of articles on the web
that warn of the dangers of cell phones. We found one article
entitled “Are Cell Phones Dangerous?” in a publication
called Safe Workplace which speaks about the dangers of cell phones
and various research and TV shows such as 20/20 that point to
the dangers from cell hone emissions. They also subtly mention
“a new product that has been tested to block up to 99% of
radiation entering the brain - “a shield that fits over the
ear section of the cell phone.”
We
thought we’d take a further look at who wrote the cell phone
article in “Safe Workplace”. It was in fact written
by Debbie Fahey vice president and director of marketing at Communications
2000, a division of Comstar Communications, Inc.. And guess what?
Comstar Communications manufactures devices alluded to in the
article. And it is also Comstar that is one of the two companies
that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is bringing charges against
for making false and unsubstantiated claims. We’ll let you
draw your own conclusions on here!
As
of yet there have not been any charges laid against the companies
in Canada, however since these devices are marketed through venues
accessible to Canadians as well as Americans, all consumers need
to be aware of these scams.
There
is also a new type of product that has been tested to block up
to 99% of the radiation entering the soft tissue of the ear canal
and the brain. It’s a shield that fits over the holes of
the ear section of the cell phone. The shield deflects the radiation
away from the head area and users have commented on the lack of
heat coming from their phones, lack of irritation of the ear canal,
and no headaches or dizziness. And other new products continue
to be developed.
Safe
Workplace is produced by the NCCI Holdings, Inc., 901 Peninsula
Corporate Circle, Boca Raton, Florida 33487.
To protect yourself
Be
aware of sites that make claims about the harmful effects
of cell phones. While there is a good indication that they may
be harmful, ongoing research is continuing to identify precisely
what these effects are. Sites that plaster their site with scare
information or only make mention of sources that point out the
harmful effects should be especially suspect.
Watch
the source of the research. Just as the research that cell
phone companies fund themselves should be suspect (we all remember
the tobacco’s industry’s so called “research”),
so should research that is funded solely by companies flogging
these protective devices.
Read
testimonials carefully. They are often carefully crafted so
as to sound supportive of the product but in effect say nothing.
Take for example one site that offers testimonials. (include the
quote from weil and also from other sources that are very vague).
If
you have an enquiry or complaint about a product or the way it
is marketed you can do so at:
Follow
FTC recommendations (include limiting use, hands free, etc.):
-
Limit cell phone use to short conversations.
- Increase
the distance between the antenna and the head by using a hands
free set or a car phone with the antenna outside the car.
- Avoid
using cell phones where the signal is poor.
While
this may be a way to reduce exposure, there are no recommendations
for eliminating exposure short of complete avoidance.
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