Cell Phone Safety - What Every Consumer Should Know

Recent concerns over cell phone safety have been amplified by exaggerated reports of how some accidents have occurred

. Although these make great forum posts, weeding out the sensationalized reporting from the real evidence is important to avoid hysteria so people can make better decisions about where actual risk factors lie.

When a man from northern India was found dead in August of 2010 while believed to have been talking on a mobile phone, reports quickly spread on the Internet. After a more careful fact check, the initial scare that his Nokia 1209 spontaneously exploded appears to have been misleading. According to the best evidence, the post mortem report by forensic investigators showed that it was only upon getting struck by lightning that his phone actually exploded.

Of greater concern, a woman from Amsterdam was shopping when she accidently dropped her Nokia phone. Upon impact, the device shut itself off automatically. Not heeding this as a warning, turning on the unit subsequently caused it to explode. A spokesman from Nokia commented that while the phone was made by Nokia, the battery was not. Cheaper and counterfeit batteries are suspects here but the possible tie to Nokia's safety features cannot be ignored.

Despite attempts to downplay by some, virtually all wireless devices have a common flaw - they pack a lot of electronics into an ever smaller case. The more gadgets your device has, the greater the risk of overheating.Likewise, a faulty charger that has a tendency of becoming extremely hot can be a warning sign. Sony Ericsson actually recalled 350,000 chargers in the UK due to a fault that could result in fire, electrocution and even an explosion.

Besides knowing about recalls, some basic fire safety tips are perhaps the greatest defense. Although manufacturers will downplay over-charging dangers, in practice, this is not the wisest move. Anytime you leave a gadget plugged in longer than it needs to be, there is always an increased risk of overheating, shorting out or catching fire.

Consumers should also be aware that spontaneous combustion and electrocution are not the only safety concerns involved with cell phones. Being a relatively new technology, the jury is still out on whether these devices pose a significant cancer risk or not. Until hard evidence conclusively proves the risk, attempts to litigate remain circumstantial but as with any potential risk - the greater the use, the greater the threat.

As my brother Ken who is no longer with us would say, when we were kids, we were told not to watch television too close because of all the radiation. What makes it suddenly alright to stick our noses up to monitors - and for that matter, cell phones? Even though these devices are usually rated for low emissions, one cannot assume there is no risk at all. Although Ken did not die of cancer, my sister did. The fact that she developed breast and lung cancer at just 29 and didn't even smoke always makes me wonder :

Was there something in the air? Was there something in the water? Was there something else manmade that just maybe, caused her daughter to grow up not knowing her mother?

by:Robert Haskell

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