Why Headsets Aren't Safe!

There are two types of harmful radiation from a cell phone. The first is the near-field plume of radiation that is generated by the phone. This near-field plume of radiation extends out a distance of 6-8 inches in all directions from the antenna of the phone. When the handset is placed against the head to listen to a call the radiation is in close proximity to the head. Consequently, the radiation penetrates the head. In adults studies have shown this penetration into the head to be a depth of about 2 inches. In the case of a child, whose skull bones are thinner and softer, this radiation can penetrate almost all the way through the head from one side to the other. Look closely at the picture above. This was a study done at the University of Utah showing how deep radiation penetrates into the head of an adult, a 10-year old and a 5-year old. It's pretty frightening to think of radiation penetrating our head like this. Obviously, we need to get that radiation away from our heads. This can be accomplished by using a headset. However, headsets are not as protective as you might think. Most headsets have a set of wires running from the microphone to the earpieces. Studies have shown that these wires, which are usually unshielded, will actually act as an ANTENNA and will attract MORE radiation to the head than before! So these types of headsets are not safe. To fix this problem someone cleverly manufactured a headset with an "airtube" in it to replace a portion of the wire leading to the earpiece. In other words, the airtube headset operates much like a stethoscope. That does get the cell phone away from the head and reduces the radiation exposure from the near-field plume.

Unfortunately, that only solves one part of the problem. For you see, the near-field plume isn't the only way our bodies are damaged by a cell phone. The second way electromagnetic waves harm us is through something called the information-carrying radio wave. It is this second carrier wave that does the biological damage to our cell membranes. We've discussed this mechanism already earlier on this blog.

So don't get lulled into thinking an "airtube" headset fully protects you. It doesn't. It only gets the phone away from your head. But it does nothing to address the damage being caused by the information-carrying radio wave. These headsets are only addressing half the problem.

Electropollution Is Bad So What Can I Do About It?

As we said in our previous post, in order to clean up dirty lake water you've first got to stop the influx of toxic waste. Same goes for electropollution. We must reduce the source of the exposure. This is step one in our three-step process in following the public health paradigm.

Here are some simple ways that you can begin the process.

• Don't use a cell phone any more than you have to. Don't use it inside buildings or cars. Use it in open areas so the phone won't have to as hard to generate as much power to get a good signal.
• Don't talk on your cell phone when the signal bars are less than maximum. This means your phone is working harder to maintain a signal. More power means greater radiation exposure to you.
• Don't let your kids use cell phones except in emergencies. The radiation penetrates their head easier because their skull bones are softer. Their brains are also in a development stage. That's not a good time to expose it to radiation. They can live without one. You did, remember?
• Don't use a cordless phone. They're three times worse than cell phones and are a continual source of radiation in your home even when they aren't being used. Go back to a landline phone.
• Get rid of your wireless router. Again, this is a continual source of radiation that is being beamed all over your house 24 hours a day, even while you sleep. Go back to a hardwired cable connection. You won't get kicked off the Internet near as often either. If you refuse to get rid of your wireless router at least turn it off at night.
• Only purchase cell phones with a speakerphone function. Then use it!
• Hands-free headsets are bad. The wires running around and across the head will act as an "antenna" and will actually attract more radiation to the head, making the problem worse. The exception here is a headset with an "airtube" piece in it which gets the wires away from the head. They do help some but don't think they are your security blanket.
• Stand well back from appliances like microwave ovens when they are in operation. The microwave oven is often the appliance that produces the greatest amount of radiation in most homes. The second largest radiation-producing device is the hairdryer.
• Don't let your school install Wi-Fi in the classrooms and fight any decision to install a cell phone tower on school property.
• Don't live near a cell phone tower if you have any choice in this. Check the quantity and locations of cell phone towers and antennas near your home by going to www.antennasearch.com. Type in your address and you'll get the listing and locations of the many antennas near your home or business.

This will get you started. Remember, we are first looking for ways to reduce the exposure. Start with your own home and office first. These are things you can do inexpensively right now. We'll continue to add more to this list as well as expand on ways to reduce your exposure so watch for the next post on this.