Oh San Francisco, you and your progressive ways. The city just passed a law -- a first in the US -- requiring retailers to post the Specific Absorption Rates (aka SAR, the rate at which at which energy is absorbed by the body) in no less than 11-point font right next to any cellphone being sold. Sounds good as far as consumer education goes, right? And a functioning democracy demands an educated and informed electorate. But here's the thing: the jury's still out (just pick your favorite
dangerous / not dangerous study to fit your belief) on the effect of radiation at levels less than the 1.6 watts per kilogram threshold set by the FCC. As such, CTIA spokesman John Walls has a point when he says that highlighting the SAR levels might confuse consumers into thinking that some cellphones are safer than others. In other words, consumer education needs to go much further than any retail-shelf placard could possibly communicate. Well, at least the law will keep us safe long enough to walk out the door and trip over a hippie.
P.S. The image above is from the "
Get a Safer Phone" (note the wording) rankings provided by the Environmental Working Group.
posted June 16th 2010 5:13AM
@thewild I think so too. Also it's funny that in the US citizens only can take 1,6 watts per kilogram while people in Europe can take 2.0 watts per kilogram! (Thats the maximum output a cellphone is allowed to have. Based on that they tell us "cellphones are safe") When will people realize that this are arbitrarily set numbers and not "given by god"...
@thewild
Better safe than sorry -- don't go to work this morning cause you COULD get hit by a car. Better safe than sorry, should work from home. Oh and you are probably better safe than sorry cause if you go outside there could be an anthrax or terrorist attack -- better cover your house in a dome and never go outside at all. That kind of logic is ridiculous.
@thewild Maybe after 40 years of use, all cell phones cause brain cancer. We should take them all off the market. Better safe than sorry.
@DoctarPeppar :
What is that for a comment ? Did you even think about it or are you just replying spontaneously ?
Radio impact on health is a question about which the scientific community is DIVIDED. Some studies say there is no danger some say there is. Nobody knows, you get it ?
Your jokes about anthrax and terrorist attack are nonsensical, those are quantifiable probabilities, and they are completely negligible.
Now, I DO have a cell phone, and I DON'T look at SAR rates. And since most people will not care, just like me and obviously you, I believe it is definitvely OK to make people understand that there is a real uncertainty about that.
There is a big difference between somethong that is unknown and something that is a probability.
Good Job Iphone.
Apple iPhone No AT&T 0.97 W/kg very low. Still wouldn't get one.
Good Job Iphone.
Apple iPhone No AT&T 0.97 W/kg very low. Still wouldn't get one.
one of the only people i know to have a nokia 7710 considering i was never released in america ...wonder why it made the list
@Bocefuss4500
Go 7710! Always said that handset was awesome *ahem*
@7710user
yep bought two of them still have the one
Thank you, San Francisco, for perpetuating this bull shit.
Repeat after me: Non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation.
Now stop this nonsense. For f. sake, a regular light bulb emits a ton more radiation (measured in eV) than all the cellphones in your city. And actually, a tiny portion of radiation emitted from a halogen light bulb steps into the ionizing arena (UVB), cellphone radiation is nowhere near those energies and wavelengths. If you claim that non-ionizing radiation can harm you, ye' olde ordinary light bulb can do you more harm than all the cellphones you'll encounter in your whole life!
@incognito - isn't an important factor that you don't hold the lightbulb to your head whereas your phone is literally against your temple?
Higher radiation=less dropped calls.
I wonder will there be any concerte evidence that link radiation from cellphone to cancer.
If you pedal pseudo-science BS, you blew it.
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/10-06-09/
Higher numbers are better, right? That's what the television keeps telling me.
I wanna see the figres for iPhone and HTC phones along with the latest droid phones from Motorola!
Sigh...government is fucking up again, what else is new.
Cell phones do not cause health problems...if you are afraid of cell phone radiation you are a fucking moron.
good thing I am an iPhone owner, I guess the radiation is so low its not even worthy of this list! Great job in making a safe product by Apple.
here is a list of other phones:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-6258775-11.html
This is completely ridiculous. This law is based on politics and fear, not scientific basis.
Pseudoscience
I like how this became an issue with cellphones recently. While it's logical to be conscious about your health and the possible adverse effects of things on it, let's be reasonable and scientific about it.
Why was this never questioned about WiFi/Bluetooth... or going further back CB/FM radio? Maybe I just missed that phase?
San Francisco really missed the boat on this one! Where are the impact metrics for each phone against global warming, indigenous people population decline, whale populations, and yeti sightings?
I demand an immediate government program to investigate this oversight!
Full list of phones including all versions of the iPhone including iPhone 4:
http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/Get-a-Safer-Phone?allphones=1
Radiation? Cancer? Toxicity? Health effects? No scientifice evidence exists. Voodoo pseudo-health-science. Jacking earbuds into your head and playing back music does more bodily harm...
Cell phones only give you cancer when you smoke them
@summerboy18
a phone is only as good as its weakest link... and ATT is a very weak link
This is what happens when lunatic hardcore liberals run things - knee jerk over regulation and mass confusion.
Oh noes! SARs is back?
where the fuck is the iphone?
Lol leave it to the some place in California to implement something like this. If I like the BB 9700, I'm walking out of the store with one regardless of what some chart says about radiation.
In fact, I'd like to find the person who headed the initiative to do this, and ask them if they can sleep better at night knowing I read the chart and bought a 9700 Bold anyway.
I don't see the Tour listed on there, but since it mostly shares its internal components with the Storm1 I'm going to guess it's closer to the "good" end of the spectrum....and that makes me happy
Damn it, us San Franciscans are such hippies. For once I wish they would let me kill myself without knowing it so I can enjoy my trans-fats and radiation phones. I'm somewhat serious lol.
Oh boy, I see a huge law suit coming. The card is not in Spanish and, since San Freaksisco is a known sanctuary city, the Illegals there are going to have a fit.
This is like stating diet soda is good for you. It's not. At least with "normal soda", you realize it's bad for you and drink in moderation (most of us anyway). People drink diet soda as if it's water!
yes, there's a lot of opinions about the impact of mobile phone radiation. I personally believe in 'better safe than sorry' but anyway, here are a collection of reports on all sides of the discussion www.tawkon.com/the-debate
Why do we always have to wait for the jury to be in before it's okay to take some precaution? Radiation exposure to the brain can't be a good thing. The question is, how bad is it? The FCC set its current ceiling for emission levels at 1.6 watts per kilogram back in early 90's when, compared to today, relatively few folks were using cell phones on a daily basis.
Today, every child it seems above the age of 10 has one and isn't shy about using up those minutes talking and texting with their friends.
San Fran officials aren't putting a skull and crossbones on the outside of the box, it's a simple number consumers can choose to use or ignore when buying a new phone. I'd rather have one that sends less rather than more radiation into my kepe, but that's just me.
so happy for this.. wish they would do this everywhere.