Pick a full featured smartphone that doesn't expose you to high radiation level these holidays, especially for the safety of your children.
The smartphone industry doesn't like to talk about radiation levels, but it should be a consideration in your choice of a smartphone.
The issue of whether cell phone use, especially by children, may increase the risk of some kinds of head and brain tumors remains unresolved. Research to date has not produced conclusive results, but several large epidemiological studies have pointed to an increased risk for people who have used cell phones the longest.
Radiation levels are measured as government mandated "specific absorption rate" or SAR value.
The Federal Communications Commission, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal agencies set the maximum allowable SAR value to 1.6 W/kg in 1996 based on the smartphone industry's own recommendations.
The Environmental Working Group reviewed the capabilities of 80 models of the latest generation of smart phones — and the published radiation levels .
The study revealed that some full-feature phones emit relatively low levels of radiation, belying the perception that feature-packed phones inevitably produce higher emissions.
For example, the hot-selling LG Quantum phone has a SAR value of just 0.35 watts per kilogram (W/kg), one-quarter of the radiation emitted by the Motorola Droid and other high radiation models.
"As this review shows, it's relatively easy to select a number of smart phones for your family and friends this holiday season that emit less radiation," said Jane Houlihan, EWG's senior vice president for research. "These devices are likely at the top of many children's wish lists this year, and parents should know there are big differences in how much radiation each emits when making their selections."
The smartphone industry has fiercely opposed efforts by San Francisco and other jurisdictions to require that cell phone retailers provide consumers with easy-to-find information on each phone's radiation output at the point of sale, arguing that calling attention to these numbers suggests that there is a health risk from cell phones that meet the federal standard.
Indeed, the industry has been lobbying federal agencies to raise the maximum allowable SAR value of 1.6 W/kg.
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