Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1507619
Page 22 | Abby's Magazine | instagram.com/abbyshealthfood Safety Standards Do Not Match Real-World Exposure Another problem is that SAR testing companies are allowed to position the cellphone as far as 25 mm (0.98 inches, or nearly 1 inch) away from the body to meet the FCC standard. Today, few people consistently keep their phone at least a quarter of an inch to an inch away from their body, which means overexposure is chronic. In 2012, the Government Accountability Office stated that because cellphone radiation is not measured under real-world conditions, against the body, the FCC should reassess its limits and testing requirements. In August 2019, the FCC announced that "the existing standard sufficiently protects the public and should remain in place," the Tribune writes. Clearly, the Tribune's independent testing suggests otherwise. As the Tribune points out, 68% of American teenagers take their cellphones to bed with them and nearly 29% sleep with them, often next to or under their pillow. Children are also exposed to RF starting in utero. Never before has an entire generation been exposed to this amount of RF from cradle to grave. The Chicago Tribune writes: "When cellphones hit the market in the 1980s, authorities focused on setting an exposure limit to address only the heating risks of cellphones. Scientists found that animals showed adverse effects when exposed to enough radiofrequency radiation to raise their body temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Authorities used this to help calculate a safety limit for humans, building in a 50-fold safety factor. The rule, adopted by the FCC in 1996, stated that cellphone users cannot potentially absorb more than 1.6 watts per kilogram averaged over one gram of tissue. To demonstrate compliance, phone makers were told to conduct two tests: when the devices were held against the head and when held up to an inch from the body. These testing methods didn't address the anatomy of children and that of other vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, said Joel Moskowitz, a cellphone expert at the University of California at Berkeley. 'It was like one-size-fits- all.' Plus, he said, 'I don't think anyone anticipated the smartphone and how it would become so integral to our lives.'" 'This Could Be the Chernobyl of the Cellphone Industry' In the wake of the Tribune's report, the class-action law firm Fegan Scott announced it will launch an investigation. In a Business Wire press release, managing partner Beth Fegan stated: "This could be the Chernobyl of the cellphone industry, cover-up and all. If we found that produce sold in grocery stores contained twice the levels of pesticides as the law allows, we would be up in arms, demanding the products be pulled from the shelf — this is no different. In this case, we know the cellphone radiation is dangerous, but the terrifying part is that we don't know how dangerous, especially to kids' brain development. The fact that the Chicago Tribune can convene a group of experts and develop such convincing findings shows that the phone manufacturers may be intentionally hiding what they know about radiation output. According to MacRumors, Fegan Scott has not provided any additional information about its investigation or what kind of legal action it might pursue. That said, at least one class- action lawsuit has already been filed. August 23, 2019, a dozen individuals led a class action complaint against Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics America Inc., saying excessive RF radiation has placed them at increased risk for cancer, cellular stress, genetic damage, learning and memory deficits and neurological disorders. As noted by Tech Wellness, the lawsuit stresses that while the cellphone industry used to warn against holding your cellphone against your body, people are now encouraged to carry their phones in their pockets rather than a bag. Tech Wellness also notes that, "Both Samsung and Apple have commercials showing people lying in bed with their phones and Samsung shows a pregnant woman holding the phone to her belly," which presents the false perception that these devices are safe even when in direct contact with the body. Government Research Confirms Safety Concerns Indeed, there's plenty of scientific evidence showing there's cause for concern and prudence. Among the more damning studies are two government-funded animal studies that reveal GSM and CDMA radiation has carcinogenic potential. The analyzed report of these two studies — conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an interagency research program under the auspices of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences — was released November 1, 2018. While the preliminary report released in February 2018 significantly downplayed the findings, subsequent peer review upgraded the findings of risk. The NTP rates cancer risk based on four categories of evidence: "clear evidence" (highest), "some evidence," "equivocal evidence," and "no evidence" (lowest). According to the NTP's annual report, the two studies, done on mice and rats of both sexes, found: Clear evidence for heart tumors (malignant schwannomas) in male rats. These types of tumors started developing around week 70 and are very similar to acoustic neuromas found in humans, a benign type of tumor that previous studies have been linked to cellphone use. Some evidence of brain tumors (malignant gliomas) in male rats. Glial cell hyperplasias — indicative of precancerous lesions — began developing around week 58. Some evidence of adrenal gland tumors in male rats, both benign and malignant tumors and/or complex combined pheochromocytoma. Equivocal or unclear evidence of tumors in female rats and mice of both genders. While the NTP insists the exposure — nine hours a day for two years, which is the lifetime of a rodent — is far more extensive than that of heavy cellphone users, I would disagree, seeing how many have their cellphones turned on and near their body 24/7. As mentioned, many teens are literally sleeping with their phone beneath their pillow. NTP Findings Reproduced at Power Levels Below FCC Limits Corroborating evidence was also published by the Ramazzini Institute just one month after the NTP released its preliminary report in February 2018. The Ramazzini study reproduces and clearly supports the NTP's findings, showing a clear link between cellphone radiation and Schwann cell tumors (schwannomas) — but at a much lower power level than that used by NTP. While NTP used RF levels comparable to what's emitted by 2G and 3G cellphones (near-field exposure), Ramazzini simulated exposure to cellphone towers (far-field exposure). Ramazzini's rats were exposed to 1.8 GHz GSM radiation at electric field strengths of 5, 25 and 50 volts per meter for 19 hours a day, starting at birth until the rats died either from age or illness. To facilitate comparison, the researchers converted their measurements to watts per kilogram of body weight (W/kg), which is what the NTP used. Overall, the radiation dose administered in the Ramazzini study was up to 1,000 times lower than the NTP's — and below the U.S. limits set by the FCC — yet the results are strikingly similar.