The California Department of Public Health has finally released the report that details the link between cell phones and brain cancer. The document was kept hidden from the public for many years and was recently revealed only after the California court ordered them to do so.
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Titled “Cell Phones and Health”, the draft document outlined the concerns of the health officials over cell phone radiation exposure. It is based on several scientific studies done during the previous years and suggests the risks human body is subjected to with prolonged usage of cell phones, that includes brain cancer, among others.
It was revealed that the document is dated April 2014 but was originally prepared seven years ago and was updated several times. It was deliberately not revealed by the California Government and upon questioned by San Francisco Chronicle, the department replied, “Th(is) project was discontinued when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued national guidance on the same subject.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that more research is needed about the subject.
Joel Moskowitz, Ph.D., director of the Center for Family and Community Health at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, filed a lawsuit against the state in 2016 under the California Public Records Act demanding the release of the document. It was only after the order of the court that the department first emailed the two-page document to the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday.
The draft mentions that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are emitted from the cell phones, just like many other electronics. EMF is a type of radiation that can harm the cells and tissues nearby. Cell phones being closest to our head and body can cause severe damage, including a high chance of brain cancer. The report also mentions that the EMFs can pass deeper into a child’s brain that an adult’s, so the little ones should be kept at bay from the cell phones.
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Alongside including the dangerous consequences, the draft also mentions the precautions that need to be taken for prevention. First off, don’t sleep with your phone by your side or carry it in your pocket, basically, it shouldn’t be very close to your body when powered on. Prefer texting over calling, and if you have to make a call, use a headset or speaker phone.
Limit your usage when the signal is weak, the cell phone emits stronger EMFs when having one or two signal bars than when three, four or five signal bars are shown. You should use a wired phone for longer talks over a cell phone if you still have one.
Warnings to reduce exposure to children have been out for over a decade. Dr. Devra Davis, founder and president of the Environmental Health Trust, and Dr. Ronald Herberman, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued recommendations in 2007 calling for reduced exposure and providing precautionary advice. In 2008, Dr. Herberman presented a report to the oversight and government reforrm committee titled “Tumors and Cell Phone use: What the Science Says.” In addition, Dr. Herberman presented advice regarding cell phone use in a memo to his staff in 2008, stating, “Do not allow children to use a cell… Read more »