French health watchdogs, in a precautionary move, recommended on Thursday reducing exposure to mobile phones and other portable wireless devices. The guidelines are an interim step pending the outcome of wider research into any impacts from health from radio frequency fields. “The time for inaction has passed,” Martin Guespereau, director of the French Health and Security Agency (Afsset), said at a press conference. “Let’s not wait until the indications become pathologies before moving forward with limiting exposure,” he said.
More than 1,000 studies were reviewed by Afsset, focussing on mobile phones, Wifi emitters, microwave ovens, cordless home phones and other gadgets that use frequencies of between 9 kilohertz (kHz) and 300 gigahertz (gHz).
Most of the studies did not show any negative impacts. Some research, however, did point to possible health problems, including cell damage, reduced male fertility and a lower blood flow to the brain. Emphasising caution, Guespereau also pointed out that cellphones have been widely used for barely a decade, not long enough to study long-term impacts from constant exposure. “We cannot endorse the idea ‘nothing has been proved, so nothing needs to be done’,” said Guespereau.
Given the uncertainty, the agency said further research was needed to determine potential health impacts and in the meantime advised the public to exercise caution. “If environmental exposure can be reduced, it should be,” the agency said in a statement. It referred to a principle it called ALARA — “As Low As Reasonably Achievable.”
Exposure to children should in particular be limited, Afsset said.
Now, take the cell phones away from the kiddies….they’ll survive. Oh and don’t forget about that laptop that is cooking the family jewels.
Is that the new iPhoneBooth?
“The time for inaction has passed,”
What? There’s always time for inaction!
Reduced male fertility is very good for this overpopulated messed up planet. Keep calling.
Use common sense. I wouldn’t worry too much about WiFi. We’re talkin milli- or micro-watts generated pretty far away from your brain and jewels. But it is 2.4 GHz microwave, so I wouldn’t get too comfortable. And I seriously worry about people who use cellphones all the time and beam that energy directly into their brains.
Exposure to children should always be limited, even if they don’t have cell phones.
keep your cell phone in your jeans pocket…the front one…..please, people…do it for the planet
Found on Slashdot. The EWG measure tissue absorption of microwave RF generated by different cellular phones. Tip, buy Korean made.
Apparently, my old Motorola V550, I carried in a Levis hip pocket for six years, is very bad.
Oh my God I am read this on my laptop by Wifi! Well there goes any chance of me having kids 🙂
The phrase “French Experts” is nonsensical, except when it comes to the discovery of the AIDS virus.
I am of partial French ancestry, distinguished I might add.
#8. So…there IS an upside!
I want my own ibooth, but Verizon doesn’t sell one; sigh!!! 🙁
It’s a matter of risk calculation. Can we afford to be wrong? Is having a cell phone worth the possibility of death?
Ban them now.
The wavelength of 2.4Ghz is 4 11/16 inches. THIS IS NOT CAPABLE OF DAMAGE AT THE POWER LEVELS IN USE. The wave has to be far smaller, as in at least the upper C-band (4-8 GHz), before it’s a problem. And even then, power and gain (directionality) are EXTREMELY important.
I work with FAR more powerful radio systems on a daily basis. There is no history of increased medical issues in military commo personnel other than “That Dumbass”.
You know, the one who stands in front of the 50W satellite dish that’s turned on.
In my early teens my parents got me a subscription to Science Digest. After almost every article there was a little “filler,” a paragraph or two, some interesting factoid or other. Thousands of those things still clutter up the corners of my mind. One of them is that a study once found that people who live near TV transmitters tend to be more irritable than those who live farther away from the high ambient RF…
The French haven’t got anything right since Madame Cure. Their cell phone and wifi hysteria is flap jawed nonsense based upon studies that are like wine and cheese parties instead of the scientific method.
There are several non-flawed studies on cell phone usage that do show increased risk of damage, be it cancer or other things, as cell phone use is increased.
With time, regulation of the cell phone industry – NOT OUR USAGE HABITS – things will improve to the point where the risk, even with frequent and long exposure, is minimal or statistically insignificant. It’s called scientific advancement folks. BUT there must be regulation of the industry and the large corporations involved, otherwise they’ll never get off their duff to do something about it unless there is some profit motive to do so aside from regulatory penalties. That’s the nature of big business, to be uni-moral – make money.
But seriously, who needs to be using a cell phone that much, anyway. Political consultants? Lee Atwater? DOH! He died from brain cancer.