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The swings and roundabouts argument surrounding cancer risk and mobile phone safety is back in the news after a study presented by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed a list of mobile devices and how much radiated energy they produce.
The Samsung Impression is your safest bet for low emissions, according to the EWG. Image: Samsung.
According to the non-profit organisation’s report, American handset heavyweight Motorola is responsible for no less than five of the top 10 radiation-emitting mobile devices, with the Motorola MOTO VU204 sitting atop the list, while the T-Mobile myTouch 3G held second and the Kyocera Jax S130 took third place.
“We would like to be able to say that cell phones are safe, but we can’t,” commented Olga Naidenko, Ph.D,. a senior scientist at Washington-based EWG and the report’s lead author.
“The most recent science, while not conclusive, raises serious issues about the cancer risk of cell phone use that must be addressed through future research,” she added. “In the meantime, consumers can take steps to reduce exposure.”
Mirroring Motorola’s positioning, but at the other end of the organisation’s listed countdown, consumer electronics giant Samsung secured five of top 10 handsets boasting the least amount of radiated energy.
However, while the Samsung Impression SGH-a887 and Samsung SGH-t229 mobile phones emerged as the first and third most favourable choices, it’s worth noting that the two handsets were split by the Motorola RAZR V8 – so, not all bad news for Motorola then.
Beyond advising consumers to “take steps” to reduce their exposure levels (i.e., buy a low-radiation phone, use a headset or speaker, and text more than talk), the EWG report says mobile phone manufacturers need to clearly label their products with the amount of radiation they produce.
The report also offers that the FCC needs to reassess its standpoint on mobile phone usage given that “current U.S. mobile phone radiation standards, set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and based on 1992 cell phone industry recommendations, are outdated and allow 20 times more radiation to penetrate the head than the rest of the body.”
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