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National CBS-TV News aired a segment Dec. 15 calling attention to a warning on cellphones issued by the California Dept. of Public Health.
The segment noted that about 95% of the U.S. population uses cellphones but few people are aware of warnings that come with the phones.
Advice to use the phone in speaker mode or with ear buds is in the instructions for Apple phones but it is buried in fine print, said the segment hosted by John Blackstone.
Other advice from the state is not to carry a cellphone in a pocket or sleep near one. Keep the phone “at arm’s length” and remove headsets when not on a call, it says.
CBS Covered Phones in 2009
CBS on 12/21/09 reported the demand of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom that radiation levels of phones be displayed at the point of sale “in a font at least as large as the price.”
Correspondent Michelle Gielan said there was a growing concern about radiation from cellphones from coast to coast. She noted that legislation like that sought by Anderson was also being proposed in Maine.
The Dec. 15, 2017 segment said California recommends using the speakerphone or headphones, sleeping at least an arm’s-length away from a phone, and avoiding keeping it in your pocket. The move comes after a three year legal battle led by Joel Moskowitz, who forced the state to release a long-secret study of cellphone risk.
Unofficial transcript of the segment, as typed by Barb Payne, is as follows:
CBS Evening News Anchor Jeff Glor:
A recent study found 95 per cent of Americans use cellphones. Now California has put out groundbreaking guidelines to limit exposure to cellphone radiation. John Blackstone has more on this.
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone:
California officials say the warning about keeping a cellphone pressed up against your ear was issued largely because radiofrequency emissions could be damaging, particularly to children.
Dr. Karen Smith, California Department of Public Health:
Now children on average are starting at the age of 10 and using cellphones for a lot of activities.
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone:
California’s Department of Public Health recommends using the speakerphone or headphones, sleeping at least an arm’s-length away from it, and avoiding keeping it in your pocket. The move comes after a three year long legal battle by Joel Moskowitz, who forced the state to release a long-secret study of cellphone risk.
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone (with Joel Moskowitz):
Certainly there are those who say this is going to cause panic.
Phones O.K. When Properly Used--Moskowitz
Joel Moskowitz, Professor, University of California, Berkeley:
People are not going to give up these devices. That’s not what we’re seeking. What we’re seeking is that people take the appropriate cautions and reduce their risk substantially.
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone:
California’s warning says that while the science is still evolving, some studies suggest a link between high cellphone use and brain cancer, lower sperm count, and headaches.
Joel Moskowitz, Professor, University of California, Berkeley:
This is just like the history of tobacco.
Stan Glantz, University of California, San Francisco:
Now, unlike cigarettes, cellphones are actually useful for something.
Tobacco Dangers Withheld
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone:
Professor Stan Glantz uncovered long-secret tobacco company research that revealed the dangers of smoking. He’s watching the science on cellphones.
Stan Glantz, University of California, San Francisco:
The case is by no means closed yet, but there’s certainly enough evidence to be concerned — to the point that I don’t usually carry a cellphone.
CBS News Reporter John Blackstone:
California is not alone in this warning. The Food and Drug Administration says on its website the risk is probably very small but suggests using speaker mode or a headset. And Apple includes a warning, of sorts, on all iPhones — but it’s not easy to find. You have to go to Settings, General, About, down to the bottom here to Legal, then to RF Exposure where finally Apple suggests using headphones or the speakerphone to reduce exposure to radiofrequency emissions. Jeff?
CBS Evening News Anchor Jeff Glor:
John Blackstone, thank you very much.
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