The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has long recommended FCC limits be re-evaluated and states:
“As radiation standards are reassessed, the AAP urges the FCC to adopt radiation standards that: Protect children’s health and well-being. Children are not little adults and are disproportionately impacted by all environmental exposures, including cell phone radiation. Current FCC standards do not account for the unique vulnerability and use patterns specific to pregnant women and children.”
The AAP has issued information on cell tower radiation on their webpage on electromagnetic fields. Please see all the text they have up below. (as of June 2017)
In recent years, concern has increased about exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones and phone station antennae. An Egyptian study confirmed concerns that living nearby mobile phone base stations increased the risk for developing:
- Headaches
- Memory problems
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Sleep problems
Short-term exposure to these fields in experimental studies have not always shown negative effects, but this does not rule out cumulative damage from these fields, so larger studies over longer periods are needed to help understand who is at risk. In large studies, an association has been observed between symptoms and exposure to these fields in the everyday environment.
Go to the American Academy of Pediatrics page on EMFs here.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has also issued recommendations to reduce cell phone radiation. Please read about that here.
American Academy of Pediatrics Official Letters on Cell Phones and Wireless Radiation
“As radiation standards are reassessed, the AAP urges the FCC to adopt radiation standards that: Protect children’s health and well-being. Children are not little adults and are disproportionately impacted by all environmental exposures, including cell phone radiation. Current FCC standards do not account for the unique vulnerability and use patterns specific to pregnant women and children.”
“In the past few years, a number of American and international health and scientific bodies have contributed to the debate over cell phone radiation and its possible link to cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the United Nations’ World Health Organization, said in June 2011 that a family of frequencies that includes mobile-phone emissions is “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The National Cancer Institute has stated that although studies have not demonstrated that RF energy from cell phones definitively causes cancer, more research is needed because cell phone technology and cell phone use are changing rapidly. These studies and others clearly demonstrate the need for further research into this area and highlight the importance of reassessing current policy to determine if it is adequately protective of human health.”
“The current metric of RF exposure available to consumers, the Specific Absorption Rate, is not an accurate predictor of actual exposure. AAP is supportive of FCC developing standards that provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices in selecting mobile phone purchases, and to help parents to better understand any potential risks for their children.”
2012 AAP Letter to US Representative Dennis Kucinich in Support of the Cell Phone Right to Know Act
“Children are disproportionately affected by environmental exposures, including cell phone radiation. The differences in bone density and the amount of fluid in a child’s brain compared to an adult’s brain could allow children to absorb greater quantities of RF energy deeper into their brains than adults. It is essential that any new standards for cell phones or other wireless devices be based on protecting the youngest and most vulnerable populations to ensure they are safeguarded through their lifetimes.”
2012 AAP Letter to the FCC Chairman calling for the FCC to open up a review of RF guidelines
“The FCC has not assessed the standard for cell phone radiation since 1996. According to industry groups, approximately 44 million people had mobile phones when the standard was set; today, there are more than 300 million mobile phones in use in the United States. While the prevalence of wireless phones and other devices has sky-rocketed, the behaviors around cell phone uses have changed as well. The number of mobile phone calls per day, the length of each cell phone call, and the amount of time people use mobile phones has increased, while cell phone and wireless technology has undergone substantial changes. Many more people, especially adolescents and young adults, now use cell phones as their only phone line and they begin using wireless phones at much younger ages.”
Environmental Health Trust has developed safety cards sharing the AAP recommendations. Please see them here.