[jerry]

I've heard rumors that you still get radiation from your cell phone even if you use a handsfree earpiece. I haven't actually read any facts on it, but I've been using handsfree for quite sometime and hearing this worries me. Do you know if this is true?

Thanks
Jerry

[Margaret Meade Glaser]

Jerry, most research says use of an earpiece, or "headset," lessens
the radiation exposure from cell phones. There was one study in the UK
that countered that; however, I have heard that involved after-market
headsets that did not actually plug into a jack in the cell phone.

There is some concern about the way people use the extension lead
(wire). If you hang the phone on your belt, but let the extension lead
fall onto the phone antenna, that is a recipe for failure to protect,
according to physicist Dr. Bill Curry. He also cautions that tests that
show the earpiece protects may not account for all the different ways
that people hold and use the phone and headset, so one is never sure.
However, it appears to be a good idea to use the earpiece or headset if
one has to use a cell phone.

One other thing to keep in mind---a digital phone communicates regularly
with its nearest cell site, sending a short burst signal every few seconds, even when one is not making a call, as long as it is turned on.
Former telecom industry researcher, Dr. George Carlo, has said that the energy directed into the body during the ring cycle is at least as much as that during a phone conversation. The advice here is to keep a cell phone away from all parts of the body when it is turned on. That means not wearing it on a belt or in a pocket, or propping it on your lap.

[jerry]

Thank you for your reply. That's exactly what I needed to know!