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Australian Research Asks If Women Keep Smartphones in the Bra

Feb 21, 2017 | 0 comments

smartphones in bra
Bra, Pocket or Purse? Australian Research Asks Where Women Keep Their Smartphones

New study finds women carry smartphones in bra despite manufacturer’s radiation warnings.

A new Australian study that will inform cancer research has found that 25 per cent of women have carried their smartphone tucked into their bra, with 15 per cent having done so in the last week. This is despite phone manufacturers warning customers not to store smartphones against the body or in clothing.

The Monash study was published in the scientific research journal PLOS One and is freely accessible at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167996

Dr.  Mary Redmayne, an adjunct research fellow with Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and scientific advisor to Environmental Health Trust, said people were exposed to considerably higher levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation by storing their smartphones next to their skin than in a bag or on a desk.

Tiffany Frantz’s Story Why The Bra is No Phone Zone

smartphones in bra

Click here for a Powerpoint Presentation of  Tiffany Frantz’ struggle with breast cancer after storing the cell phone in her bra for 5 years.

“Many studies have indicated an increased risk of brain tumours from extended mobile phone use. However, there have been no epidemiological studies regarding smartphone exposure and breast cancer.  People should play safe and ensure they do not store their smartphones directly against their bodies,” Dr. Redmayne said.

“Modern smartphones are equipped with installed applications that run automatically in the background to update information. This process generates electromagnetic radiation in addition to the regular signal contact with the nearest base station.

“The main outcome of this pilot study will be to assist in designing a cancer or tumour study, with a principal interest in breast cancer in women due to the observed habit of carrying a phone in the bra, directly against the breast,” Dr. Redmayne said.

The study surveyed 197 Melbourne-based women aged 15-40 to find out where and how near to the body smartphones were carried and used. The research indicated that the most common location of the smartphone in the last 7 days when not in use or during passive use (using the phone for purposes other than phone calls) was off the body (86 per cent). However, the next most common were in the hand (58 per cent), in a pocket below the waist (57 per cent) or against the breast (15 per cent). A quarter of the women surveyed had at some time carried the phone against their breast.

Only five per cent of survey participants were unaware that smartphones emit electromagnetic energy – the 21-30 age group were best informed on this. When asked about health risks, the respondents were most concerned with sleep issues, cancer and headaches or dizziness. However, these sentiments did not seem to mitigate day-time storage behaviour, particularly in a pocket or near the breast.

“Interestingly there was a significant association between perceived health risks and smartphone storage mode adopted at night. This was due to those who had health concerns about the phone’s proximity and these women turned it off or put it into flight mode at night.

“With 89 per cent of 18 to 75 year olds owning a smartphone in Australia, knowledge on storage habits is important for assisting future health studies. Data from this pilot study can now be used to inform larger research projects on breast cancer or other cancers and smartphone use in women,” Dr. Redmayne said.

Additional Resources

March 2015: Dr. Devra Davis addressed New York Judges & Lawyers on the connection between breast cancers and environment in a scientific presentation to NYCLA. DOWNLOAD Slides