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Millions of messages are sent and received every day-
nearly all by wireless users...and the demand
for wireless services is growing like wildfire.
But so is concern about the potential health effects from
long-term exposure to RF (radiofrequency) energy.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently
classified RF energy as "possibly carcinogenic to
humans," based on limited evidence that RF energy
might be a risk factor for cancer.
However, the vast majority of scientific research to date
does not support this link.
Dr. Daniel Krewski is the Scientific Director of the
McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment.
You have to look at the entire body of literature when you're
reaching overall conclusions and of the literally thousands of
papers that have been written on this topic, very few have
suggested health concerns and all of that information needs to
be taken into account when reaching an overall conclusion.
Levels of radiofrequency energy that are coming from cell phone
technology are typically well below the safety limits.
If you're being exposed to cell phone technology or just the
phone inside the house which is a hand-free technology.
Remember again that you're going to be exposed from that little
base station that you plug into the wall in your home.
You're going to be exposed just as much as you are from cell
towers because the signal has to get to you.
And then you're going to send a signal back, you don't have to
send it back as far, you only have to only send it back the
width of your house, so the radiation dose from that hand
held system will be quite low...
The limits set in Health Canada's RF exposure guidelines
are actually 50 times lower than the threshold for
potentially adverse health effects.
These limits are based on ongoing research
and scientific studies.
If you go back historically, and look at how the standards and
guidelines, SC6 - how they evolved; it was taken into
account, the size of the individual.
There were models done for children, for fetuses even.
The standard and guideline as it exists now has evolved from
considerations that have been incorporated.
All of that over the last 50 years.
There are things you can do to reduce RF exposure such as limit
the length of cell phone calls;
using hands-free devices or texting.
Since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of
environmental agents, parents are encouraged to reduce their
kids' RF exposure from cell phones.
Remember all equipment associated with exposure to
radiofrequency fields must meet
Health Canada's safety guidelines.
Also, Health Canada continually reviews scientific studies to
ensure that safety guidelines are sufficient.
For more information visit:
healthycanadians.gc.ca