By John, Certified Holistic Health Coach
Here are two questions we at Gimme the Good Stuff hear quite a lot from our readers:
1) “Is there a link between cell/smart phones and cancer?”
2) “Is there a product that provides effective radiation protection?”
As you probably know, your cell phone, along with other common household electronic devices, emits EMFs (electromagnetic radiation fields). That much is an established fact. Vexingly, we are far less certain what health concerns these EMFs might cause.
Until recently, studies have been either inconclusive or show little reason for concern. But the last several years found the World Health Organization, at the urging of over 195 scientists from 39 countries, and citing over 2,000 peer-reviewed studies, reclassifying devices emitting EMFs as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”
French researchers have found an almost three-fold increase in the incidence of brain cancer in people with more than 900 hours of lifetime cellphone use. Swedish researchers also found that the risk of being diagnosed with brain cancer increased by a factor of three in people who had used cell or cordless phones for at least 25 years. Research on lab animals has caused similar concerns.
Bear in mind that this technology is still in its infancy and as a rule I’d rather err on the side of safety, especially when I consider the fact that:
- When I was a kid, cigarettes were considered safe, and there were even doctors who endorsed particular brands.
- In the 1960s, many doctors believed that diet played little or no role in our health.
- Recently, the American Cancer Society changed mammography guidelines, based on a new understanding of the risks.
I’ll stop there. The point is that when industry-funded, scientific researchers claim that cell phone use is safe, I can’t help but wonder if, in twenty or thirty years, we will look back and wonder how we could have been so foolish. Children–due to lower skull density and a still-developing brain–would likely be even more vulnerable to the potential carcinogenic effects of cell phones.
Cell Phone Radiation Protection
The good news is that there are ways to decrease the amount of EMFs we expose ourselves to without giving up our phones entirely. For better or worse, cell phones are here to stay, so we need to learn how to use them safely.
(Related Post: iPad Radiation)
Here are some things you can do to drastically decrease the amount of EMFs you are hit with:
- Don’t let your kid use your cell phone. Admittedly, I love to FaceTime with my grandsons. But we try to keep these calls brief.
- Use your speakerphone. Every centimeter of distance between your brain and your cell phone reduces the amount of EMR exponentially.
- Put your phone on airplane mode when you’re not using it. If nothing else, you should always put your phone in airplane mode at night if you use it as an alarm and therefore have it next to you.
- Don’t use your phone when the signal is weak. When the bars are low, your phone has to work harder to find the signal–which means higher radiation for you.
- Invest in a protection device. The internet is thick with products that claim to reduce or eliminate EMF exposure from cell phones. Some of these products are pure quackery, while others have proven their effectiveness in independent labs. We’ve done research on several products, and generally speaking, any product that is worn as a pendant or necklace won’t block or absorb EMFs in any effective way.
- Use tube-type headphones. Normal headphones are attached with a wire that can transmit EMFs to your head.
Here are some good products we’ve found to protect yourself from your phone radiation:
Pong (Now Alara)
We no longer carry Alara cases in our store, but they have been tested and our research suggests that the shielding/redirecting technology embedded within Pong cases successfully reduce EMF exposure.
The limitations are that they are only made to fit a iPhones. (See below for what to use if you have a Galaxy or want a universal case).
DefenderShield EMF Radiation-Free Air Tube Headphones
One of the best ways to protect yourself from radiation from your cell phone is to use either speaker phone or headphones. Unfortunately, only some headphones are effective–specifically, those that use tubes rather than wires to direct the sound from your device into your ears. Delivering sound via hollow air tubes rather than traditional wires, the DefenderShield EMF Radiation-Free Air Tube Stereo Headphones offer an incredible listening experience while eliminating EMR exposure to the head.
$74.99Buy Now
DefenderShield Radiation Protection Products
DefenderShield’s line of products block virtually 100% of harmful EMR cell phone radiation from the face of your cell phone–no matter what kind you have–without affecting signal quality. DefenderShield also makes radiation protection for laptops and tablets–supper important if you have kids who like to play on your iPad!
Backed by FCC-certified lab testing, its multi-layered shielding technology embedded in the front cover blocks virtually 100% of the full frequency spectrum of harmful Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) from 0-10 GHz which includes:
- Extremely Low Frequency Radiation (ELF Radiation)
- WiFi Radiation (RF Radiation)
- Bluetooth Radiation (RF Radiation)
- Cellular Radiation (RF Radiation)
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The bottom line is that this is that cell phone radiation is still a new area of study. As of now, it is impossible for anyone to claim that their product will rescue you from 100% the ill-effects of cellphone use and their EMFs.
But history tells us that these EMF redirecting products might be worth the investment, considering the negative outcomes that may show themselves years from now.
Stay sane,
P.S. I recently learned that regular cell phone cases (the kind that just protect the phone) actually INCREASE radiation emissions (since the phone must work harder to establish a connection with the cell tower). So if you want to use a case on your phone, definitely consider one that reduces radiation rather than the opposite.
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Anna B says
Interesting post, I have been researching this a lot lately and looked at both grounding mats and canopies. That would mostly be for protection from Wifi-signals, I suspect, (but hope I’m wrong) they will find the constant exposure to those frequencies aren’t all good for us either.
Regarding the cases. Have you heard of Defender Shield?
Also, letting a kid using an iPad on airplane mode shouldn’t be too bad I hope? I try to make sure he’s at least a foot away from the screen as I hear that’s how far the EMF’s reach.
Thanks again for doing the research!
Maia James says
Hi Anna,
I am not super-familiar with Defender Shield, but I just took a look at their site. From a quick look around it seems that their cases do what many others do…that is they close entirely over the phone, thus blocking all radiation…as claimed. There is a fairly significant downside to this sort of technology. A phone that cannot send a signal because it is blocked is also unable to receive a signal. This means that while the case is open the phone functions as it always does, but when the case is closed the phone is useless. It won’t ring or receive texts or function as a phone. You can get the same effect by wrapping your phone in tin foil.
Again…I was unable to spend enough time on their site to dig deeper (I hope to do so soon). What I also cannot tell is if the case offers any protection when the phone is in use.
There are several case manufacturers who make similar products.
We decided to partner with Pong because their technology redirects a great deal of the Electro Magnetic Radiation away from your head as you use the phone.
Thanks for the question!
msgirl says
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know – I bought 5 of the CellSafe ipad shields – 1 gift, and the recipient did not want it. CellSafe will not let me return it. I didn’t even open it. I was disappointed in their customer service; just wanted to let you know.
Maia says
Thanks for letting us know.
Lauren says
Hi there- I have found some conflicting research regarding Pong cases, primarily that RF Safe products are much more effective. Just curious if your team has looked into RF Safe at all? I purchased a Pong case after reading your post and am very happy with the functionality, but am now considering an RF Safe case instead. Thoughts? My mother in law was recently diagnosed with ALS and we also have a newborn baby at home, so health is a big topic in our family right now. Thank you!
Maia James says
Hi! We all use Pong cases, but certainly there may be other effective devices out there. In fact, I am fairly certain my father (and business partner) looked into RF Safe years ago and deemed it to be good. I’ll check in with him! But in the meantime, my research on Pong lead me to believe it is effective at greatly reducing radiation.
Jenn says
Hello,
I recently bought the I phone 7 plus and see that pong doesn’t have a case yet available. I was wondering if the RF safe case is affective seeing that they have case out.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Maia James says
Hi! I am going to find out when Pong plans to release the new case, but in the meantime, yes, I think RF Safe is legit.
Maia James says
FYI Pong now has a case for the 7!
Kim Valente says
Hi Maia! Do you happen to know when an 8 plus case will be available? thank you.
Maia James says
Not yet, but will let you know!
Robin J says
Hi Maia and John,
I’m trying to choose between Pong and Defender Shield cases or shields for my iPhone and iPad but I’m genuinely confused on which is better, or how the DS iPhone case works when the cover is open? In earlier posts it was commented that it really only blocks EMF when the front cover is closed. So does that render it useless when in actual use with the cover open? Is one preferred over the other? And with the DS mat not being an actual iPad case, would it be counterproductive to use a ‘regular’ case for protection? I’ve seen it noted elsewhere that ‘regular’ cellphone cases make the EMF worse since it is harder to obtain a signal. Apologies for all the questions, I know a lot has changed over the past few years. Thanks!
Jennifer says
I’d love to know your input on this as well!
Robin J says
Hi Maia & Suzanne,
I thought you’d like to know that pong apparently is no longer making the iPad case! I am very bummed to find this out. On Pongs site it appears they were acquired by alara/brinkcase and where I emailed customer service as to why their iPad case page just errors out, they told me they haven’t made them for almost 3 years. I was shocked. Guess the DefenderShield is a must now!
Suzanne Weaver-Goss says
Thanks Robin, we have been happy with the Defender Shield for our iPads.
Michelle says
Hi Maia and John,
I’ve been looking into the research on various anti-radiation phone cases because Pong does not carry a case that fits my Motorola android phone. Have you ever looked into SafeSleeve (https://www.safesleevecases.com/)? They seem to have a greater variety of phone case options than many other companies. Thanks!
Lina says
I would love to know your thoughts on SafeSleeve as well!
Robin says
Maia and John – I am still unclear whether the DefenderShield iPhone case actually provides any protection when the cover is open, and phone is in use (i.e. an active call or user texting etc.)? Or if it only provides protection when the cover is closed? Can you comment based on your understanding? Thank you!
Leesa says
Hi Jon,
Great article! Thank you so much for the information.
I have a question for you along these same lines. What are your thoughts on induction stovetops? What are the exposures to EMF with an appliance like that? Do you have significant concerns? I’ve had one for the last 6 years and it broke two weeks ago. I began doing research and have been quite concerned about what I have been finding in terms of induction cooking and EMF. Needless to say that we will be replacing it with a traditional stovetop but still discouraged about the exposure with the appliance.