The debate concerning the harmful use of mobile phones has persisted long enough. San Francisco department of Environment has taken up the health issue very seriously it seems, as they plan to advocate the indication of radiation level of a mobile phone next to its price tag. But the bugging thing about this step is the fact, that no research yet has presented definite evidence pointing to the adverse effects of cell phones on humans. The bill is endorsed and has full support of San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has assured that all cell phones legally sold in US are completely safe for consumer use, The Department of Environment is not likely to budge on this. The FCC has devised ways to ensure safety of its citizens by adopting limits for safe exposure radiation, which are measured in terms of the unit, Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which indicates the amount of radio frequency absorbed by a persons tissue and brains while talking on the phone. The FCC ensures that all cell phone manufacturers adhere to the limit of 1.6 Watts per kilogram of body tissue, which is legal in the USA. Some phones emit SAR as low as 0.2 per Kilograms.
The legislation would require the retailers to publish the SAR value as large as the price, and also explain what these SAR values signify. The city’s environment commission is still debating the legislation, though it also needs the approval of Board of Supervisors to become a law. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association has denied the idea of cell phones posing health concern to humans by pointing to various studies. They showed evidence by indicating the study by American Cancer Society that cell phones are not likely to cause cancer and to the World Health Organization’s finding that cell phones aren’t a risk to health. Newsom expects that the organization will fight this legislation. Curiously, Newsom is also a “proud” owner of an iPhone. It will be interesting to see if this bill is passed in San Francisco, and if the other cities also decide to adopt this.