Scene 1: You’re stuck in traffic and will be late for an important meeting; you pick up your cell phone, call your client and avoid a potentially embarrassing situation. Scene 2: you’re at the grocery store and can’t remember whether you’re out of bread or not… no problem - you call home, ask what else you should pick up while you’re there and away you go, mission accomplished. Scene 3: your teenager is out past 11:00… where is he? No problem, you call his cell and learn he lost track of time but is on his way home. All three of these scenarios happened to me in the same day and thank goodness I had my cell handy. There is no doubt about it, our cell phones provide safety, convenience and communication and have become a vital part of our every day lives. To date, there are more than 20 million cell phones are currently in use in Canada. This is why the recent news about the growing link between long term cell phone use and brain cancer is particularly disturbing - it affects us all.

Your cell phone is actually not a phone. It’s a two-way radio that emits low-powered radiation. But does holding a radio device to our heads for minutes or hours a day expose us to enough radiation to lead to tumours and cancer? The manufacturers say ‘NO’ but more and more studies are saying ‘YES’ as neuroscience experts believe the growing number of brain cancers across all age demographics is directly related to frequent long-term cell phone use.

A Swedish study in 2006 concluded that people who used mobile phones for an hour or more each day had a 240 percent higher brain tumour risk than non-users. Tumours were significantly more likely to develop on the side of the head where the phone was most often used.
According to renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Vini Khurana, the problem with past studies is that they have only been for short term durations. Dr. Khurana warns that the mobile phone industry should be implementing sweeping changes to the technology. “There is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumors,” Khurana said, a link that will be “definitively proven” within 10 years. Khurana warned that if immediate measures are not taken, mobile phones will soon be responsible for a massive public health crisis.”We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and dangerous situation and it is reasonable to assume that in the next 10 years, brain tumours will be responsible for more deaths world-wide than smoking or asbestos,” he said.
Six out of every 100,000 people will be diagnosed with brain cancer this year and the growing number of incidences involving people under the age of 40 is shocking. Rather than chucking your phone out the window and switching to carrier pigeon, there are some things you can do to protect yourself and those you love.

Common sense cell phone safety tips:
·       Use cell phones only when absolutely necessary. Use a landline whenever you can.
·       Distance yourself from your phone. Even a few centimetres between your body and your phone can diminish risks so try to use the hands-free speakerphone function.
·       Purchase an EMF blocker for your phone such as the Trio RADSafe (a self adhesive device the size of a dime that sticks to the back of your phone and reduces the EMF radiation) available in Kelowna at Soleil Body Cleansing Studio located in Kelowna at 1353 Ellis Street across from the library parkade.
·       Shop around for a phone with less radiation. Guides to cell phone radiation by brand are available online at  http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020356-1.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx
·       If you’re a parent considering getting a cell phone for your child, keep in mind the health and safety concerns to younger bodies and limit the amount of time they are allowed to use their phone.

Our cell phones are here to stay - ensure yours is causing you more help than harm.