Ong Alerte Phonegate

For over 20 years, cell phone users have been knowingly misled about their true levels of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) waves under real conditions of use in contact with the body. Consumers have been doubly misled by not having been informed by the public authorities to keep the phone away from the body. This issue concerns all of us and those we love. Most of us have cell phones. We hold them against our heads, keep them switched on in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked in a bra. Many of us are unaware that cell phone manufacturers warn us to keep the phone at a distance from the body. Nor are we aware that the manufacturers are testing cell phones at a certain distance from the body, not in the ways that most of us use them, touching the body. The authorities have been lax in implementing public health campaigns and recommendations to reduce RF exposure, especially regarding children, pregnant women and medically sensitive populations who are more vulnerable to these waves. Most of us are not aware or sufficiently informed that manufacturers are testing cell phones at a certain distance from the body, not in the ways that most of us use them. The international NGO, Phonegate Alert Association, now has proof that for over 20 years, manufacturers have been placing cell phones on the market under deceptive conditions. Both the manufacturers and regulators have not taken into account the real conditions of use in the calculation of the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate, the indicator used to measure the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body when using a wireless device). The SAR, expressed in watts per kilogram (W/kg), is set to protect cell phone users from overheating or thermal effects. It is well established that thermal can be harmful to health. Many cell phones placed on the market exceed the maximum SAR regulatory threshold. This health and industrial scandal is called “Phonegate”.