Cell Phones and Cancer

My husband and I have been concerned about the research suggesting there might be a link between cell phone use and cancer. He has a strong family history of cancer so we’ve worked hard to limit the exposure our family, especially our children, have to possible carcinogens. We both have cell phones so one option I had been considering was purchasing headsets to use with our cell phones. However, I had hesitated to spend the money since the research is currently inconclusive.

Earlier this summer my mind was made up after reading a piece in The New York Times that mentioned the brain surgeons the author had interviewed for his column did not place their cell phones next to their ears but used headsets or speaker phones instead.

Knowing that people who know far more about the brain also had concerns about radiation exposure from cell phones tipped my thinking and I bought headsets for our phones. Headsets reduce radiation exposure by keeping the phone farther away from the body. We got the Blue Tube Headsets and have been very pleased. The ear piece is comfortable and the cord can expand and retract quickly as needed.

I was even happier with the decision yesterday when I heard NPR’s story regarding a warning released by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The Institute suggests 10 ways to limit the radiation exposure from cell phones. The scientist interviewed for the story, Dr. Daniel Wartenberg, says simply that it is better to be safe than sorry and specifically mentioned corded ear phones as an easy way to reduce exposure.

If you prefer text over audio, the precautionary advice released by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s director Ronald Herberman is also available online.

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