Cell Phone Radiation Levels Finally Under Scrutiny

Proposed Bill in Congress

Is cell phone radiation harmful? Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to know. His recently proposed legislation, called the “Cell Phone Right to Know Act”, would require that warning labels be placed on cell phones, warning consumers of radiation dangers.

Kucinich’s bill would also start a research program to study cell phone radiation levels, along with requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to update the standards for specific absorption rate (SAR), the amount of radio frequency absorbed by the brain when using a cell phone.

In essence, the bill would require the government to “examine, label, and communicate adverse human biological effects associated with exposure to electromagnetic fields from cell phones and other wireless devices, and for other purposes.”

Not Willing to Wait for Scientists to Agree

Kucinich is well aware of the controversy about cell phone radiation levels that is still raging among scientists. But he’s not willing to wait till the science gets ironed out on this issue:

“While we wait for scientists to sort out the health effects of cell phone radiation, we must allow consumers to have enough information to choose a phone with less radiation. As long as cell phone users may be at increased risk of cancer or reproductive problems, Americans must have the right to know the radiation levels of cell phones.”

Time will tell if anything will come of this bill. But at least it’s a start.

San Francisco’s Battle to Reveal Cell Phone Radiation Levels

Meanwhile, on a similar note, the City of San Francisco has been in court for a hearing that may determine if it will be allowed to force cell phone retailers within its city limits to disclose possible health risks to people buying cell phones.

This legal battle between the City of San Francisco and the wireless industry has been simmering for some time. It started two years ago, when the S.F. Board of Supervisors passed a groundbreaking resolution that required cell phone retailers to display a handset’s SAR at the point of sale and to offer fact sheets about cell phone radiation exposure to consumers.

This naturally did not sit well with the CTIA, the lobbying arm of cell phone industry; and they promptly sued the city on grounds that the law was unconstitutional. The city rewrote the legislation, but the CTIA was still not satisfied.

A ruling on all issues is expected soon. And lawmakers around the country and in Congress will be watching. If the city wins, other legislation across the nation may follow.

Is Cell Phone Radiation Harmful?

The jury is still out on this question. But at long last, the issue of cell phone radiation levels is at least being reviewed by people in the US government who can do something to protect people against cell phone dangers.