With cell phone dangers getting so much attention, it’s easy to forget about an often worse EMF offender: The cordless phone. When it comes to cordless phone vs cell phone radiation, you’re about to learn why the cordless phone is usually more harmful for your health and what options you have for keeping your landline without all the EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) danger.
Why cordless phone radiation is more harmful than a cell phone
Having a cordless phone is like putting a mini cell tower in the middle of your home that’s sending out EMF 24/7 (WiFi routers and baby monitors are also like mini cell towers). Cell phones are smart enough to throttle back their EMF radiation while not in use, but most cordless phones are going full blast all the time. This can become a real health risk for those who spend a lot of time in the home, causing effects that range from insomnia to cancer. Imagine walking around the house on a call with your Aunt Jane for hours on end, holding your WiFi router right next to your head… Sounds ridiculous, but that’s exactly what you’re doing when you use your cordless phone. And it’s sending those signals straight through your brain!
Harmful effects of cordless phone EMF
Dr. Magda Havas has been petitioning the Canadian and US governments for over a decade to ban cordless phones using Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technology. DECT uses more harmful, higher frequencies (up to 6 GHz). Her studies and others show some of what can happen when you overexpose yourself at certain distances to cordless phones:
- Problems with children’s memory, attention, and motor function: 2.8 meters (9.2 feet)
- Disturbed sleep: 1.7 meters (5.6 feet)
- Increase in adult leukemia: 45 -130 cm (1.5 – 4.3 feet )
- Increase in childhood leukemia: 35 and 260 cm (1.1 – 8.5 feet)
- Impaired memory: 30 cm (11.8 inches)
- Immune system disruptions, reduced REM sleep, dropped insulin levels, and pathological changes in the blood brain barrier: any distance closer than 25 cm (10 inches)
Here’s a graph of the effects from her work:
Hopefully you’re now starting to think about your own life and where you and your family might be affected by EMF. Poor sleep, brain fog and ADHD are just the tip of the iceberg. Several studies link cancers like Glioma (the most common form of brain cancer) to EMF radiation. Those studies dealt primarily with cell phone radiation, but cordless phone radiation is in the same family, emitting just as much (if not more) EMF. Take action today by following these simple steps to reduce exposure cordless phone radiation before life gets in the way.
Tips for reducing radiation exposure from cordless phones
Best option
- Trash your wireless phone
- Buy a corded phone
If using a corded phone isn’t an option for you, then the ‘additional tips’ below will still help. FYI, many families are also ditching WiFi and using wired Internet to create an EMF sanctuary in their home.
Additional tips for when a wireless phone is a must
- Create distance. EMF exposure increases dramatically the closer you are to the device. Holding your phone 25 cm (10 inches) from your body reduces your EMF exposure by 10,000 fold! Move your base station away from areas where people spend a lot of time (specifically bedrooms).
- Unplug during the night and when not in use. You can even get an inexpensive timer to do it for you (same goes for WiFi).
- Get a wired headset and keep the cordless phone away from your body
- Buy a 900 MHz cordless phone or use a low EMF (Eco Mode Plus) cordless phone (more info below)
900 MHz cordless phones
These are the original cordless phone and operate at a safer EMF frequency (900 MHz). But, as with any wireless signal, take caution and follow the additional tips to lower your EMF exposure. Most cordless phones today use DECT technology, but there are some options out there and usually cost $30-$90.
- Clarity W425 900MHz Cordless Phone with 30-dB Amplification (White) >>Check price on Amazon
- GE 26938GE1 900 MHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID/Call Waiting >>Check price on Amazon
Low EMF cordless phones – Eco Mode Plus
These phones use DECT technology and have an ‘Eco Mode’ where they emit little to no EMF while in not in use (often called a sleep or standby mode). You’ll still have the high EMF exposure while on the phone, so it’s a great option if you don’t use your phone much. There aren’t many of these phones in the US yet because they originated in Europe where consumers have been advocating devices with safer EMF levels.
The first to hit US markets is the Siemens’ Gigaset cordless phone, and is a great option with its ‘Eco Mode Plus’ and typically costs $25-$50. Here are two that offer ‘Eco Mode Plus’:
- Gigaset C610A-L410 Cordless Phone and Hands-Free Clip >>Check price on Amazon
- Siemens S30852-H2252-R301 A510 Handset Telephone Cordless >>Check price on Amazon
Other phones state that they have an ‘Eco Mode’ to increase the battery life but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will reduce the EMF exposure from the base station. So if it doesn’t state it in the specification (i.e. “Eco Mode Plus with no radiation and power consumption of 0.4W”), then be sure to contact the retailer or use an EMF meter to verify.
Summary
The EMF radiation emitted by cordless phones, cell phones, WiFi routers, smart meters, electric poles, etc. is an invisible health hazard. Pause and take a moment to make an informed decision about what you are going to do about the EMF in your life. Simple steps will make a big difference. Start by swapping your cordless phone for a corded one. If circumstances require you to have a cordless phone, do everything you can to minimize your exposure and improve your health by following the tips outlined here.
PS – Two of the most sensitive areas to EMF are the eyes and the testes, and several studies have found EMF to cause sperm motility and potency issues, resulting in EMF-caused male fertility issues. So, be especially careful to keep EMFs away from these areas.
Like This Article? Pin it on Pinterest
