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Cell Phone Safety Tips

There are 80 million cell phone users in this country. If you're one of them, a new study has found that radiation from cell phones causes memory loss in rats.

And if forgetful rats don't give you reason to worry, memory loss is only one of the possible risks associated with cell phones. Other research has shown links to cancer.

Louis Slesin is the editor of Microwave News, a newsletter which examines the health issues related to radiation. He shares on The Early Show some information on how you can protect yourself.


It is important to note that currently there is no long-term research going on in America to know if microwave radiation similar to the kind used in cell phones causes serious problems in humans, or if there is even a problem.

So right now it is too premature to ask people to give up their cell phones, notes Slesin.

New Cell Phone Health Danger?
Read more about the University of Washington study.

"In a few years, 1 billion people will be using this technology. Now is the time to find out- if there is a problem, we don't know, if there is a problem, we can fix it, says Slesin.

What Slesin is suggesting is for the industry to tell the consumer how much radiation each phone puts out.

"Basically, this new study that came out of the University of Washington yesterday, essentially it says you don't need very much to have some kind of effect. Many of the other studies show the same thing. It doesn't take much," he says.

In the meantime, he offers some tips on how you can protect yourself:

DAILY CELL PHONE TIPS
Use hands free head set
Use land lines
Don't give to children
Use in open spaces
Pull antenna out
Use side antenna phone

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