The Issue
Cell Phones
Could long-term exposure to cell phone radiation cause harm? The jury is still out, so EWG brings you the latest on the science, regulatory action and tips to reduce exposure.
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The Latest on Cell Phones
The top environmental health stories of 2012 were all about everyday hazards that are right in our backyards. They have to do with the unintended consequences of chemical pollution that could harm the health of our families, our neighbors, our towns - our nation.
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The Environmental Working Group applauds the decision by the influential American Academy of Pediatrics to support pending legislation that would require new research into the safety of cell phone radiation, especially for children, require safety standards that protect children and other vulnerable populations, and impose new labeling requirements for the ubiquitous devices.
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New research by Russian scientist Igor Belyaev, Ph.D., and Turkish researcher Nesrin Seyhan, Ph.D., shows that radiation emitted from portable devices may damage DNA and disrupt the process of DNA repair.
Read MoreThe Environmental Working Group and Public Citizen have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to support a San Francisco law that would require cell phone retailers to distribute a consumer safety fact sheet to customers explaining the potential hazards of cell phone radiation.
Read MoreEWG’s 2012 guide to cell phone radiation summarizes the new research and the lack of protective government standards for phone radiation. Recommendations to consumers including taking steps to reduce their exposures to cell phone radiation by holding phones away from their bodies, using earpieces and following the other simple tips in our guide.
Read MoreAfter years of neglecting to update its scientific statements on cell phone radiation, the Federal Communications Commission, in an about-face, launched a review of its safety standards.
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EWG and consumer advocate Public Citizen filed a brief supporting San Francisco’s decision to require cell phone vendors to give consumers facts about potential health risks of cell phone radiation and advice on safer cell phone use.
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People are messy. So is nature. And what people do when nature unleashes its fury often makes things worse.
The staff at Environmental Working Group took a look at the major environmental news stories of the year and came up with two lists: the Top 10 Good News stories and the Top 10 Bad News stories.
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U.S. District Judge William Alsup last week gave the green light to city authorities to require that retailers distribute fact sheets about cell phone radiation to their customers.
Read MoreUS District Judge William Alsup today asked the city of San Francisco to delay enactment of its lauded cell phone right-to-know ordinance until he decides whether to grant the cell phone industry’s motion for an indefinite delay.
Read MoreAs the world mourns the passing of iPhone creator Steve Jobs, San Francisco and Canada are blazing new paths to ensure that the public knows how to use cell phones safely.
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The Burlingame, Calif., city council has passed a motion to post guidelines on the city’s website to advise consumers how they can minimize their exposure to cell phone radiation.
Read MoreAlthough parents are likely feeling reassured by the first media headlines about a new Swiss study of brain tumor risk in children using cell phones, the findings are actually quite troubling, according to a review by Environmental Working Group.
Read MoreThe World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer announced today it has classified cell phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use.
Read MoreDocuments obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that wireless industry representatives were granted a number of high-level meetings with top Federal Communications Commission officials last year to discuss state and local efforts to require retailers to post the radiation levels of the cell phones they sell.
Read MoreFrance will soon become the first nation anywhere to require merchants to inform consumers of the radiation levels of cell phones at the point of sale.
Read MoreMost of us want the latest and smartest phones - but not at the price of high cell phone radiation. This season's good news: a batch of smart-smart phones: lower-radiation choices with plenty of features.
Read MoreBattle lines are being drawn. Alliances formed. And as the cell phone industry wages war against San Francisco over its cell phone-labeling ordinance, many are looking east to see if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will support or hinder consumers' right to know information about cell phone radiation levels.
Read MoreOn September 20th, 2010 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) overhauled its website (www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/) to downplay the health risks of cell phone emissions and raise questions about the value of
Read MoreWASHINGTON, Sept. 13, -- Environmental Working Group (EWG) filed a FOIA with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today to shed light on whether the trade association for the wireless industry is working with the FCC to challenge San Francisco’s Cell Phone Right-To-Know Ordinance, the first law passed by a U.S. jurisdiction to require retailers to display radiation values for individual wireless devices at the point of sale.
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