Exposure & Silence
Blog #26
Have you ever looked at the warnings that are on your cell phone. If you have an iPhone, follow these directions to find them on your phone: Go to settings - - >General - - >About -->Legal. What do you think about what you found, in light of this module's content?
Well first off, OMG I have never seen so much! Most of the legal page was not helpful in answering this questions, but the section for RF exposure was enlightening.
According to my iPhone, it has ben tested and meets the applicable limits for radio frequency exposure. Now this hits a little close home as we just discussed what "acceptable limits" exactly are. Just like with the candy dispenser, there is no mention of who set this limitation.
Specific Absorption refers to the rate at which the body absorbs RF energy, The SAR limit is 1.6 watts per kilogram in countries that set the limit average over 1 gram of tissue and 2.0 watts per kilogram in countries that set the limit average over 10 grams of tissue
iPhone states in reduce exposure to RF energy, use of hands-free option, such as the built in speakerphone, the supplied headphones, or other similar accessories. Cases with metal parts may change the RF performance of the device, including its compliance with RF exposure guidelines, in a manner that has not been tested or certified.
The Federal Communications Commission with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau requires that cell phone manufacturers conduct their SAR testing to include the most severe, worst-case (and highest power) operating conditions for all the frequency bands used in the USA for that cell phone.
Mom always did say that cell phones would fry my brain, but I truly believed this was just being a high school teenager. I found a helpful photo that illustrates magnetic fields in comparison to other objects:
Should nurses be more active in staying abreast of information regarding radiation associated with tech devices and their associated potential risks?
I would have to say no. Cell phone devices have a low non-ionizing effect, that I do not believe they pose as large of an effect on humans. That being said, on unit I have had patients and families tell stories of having breast cancer, and stating when they were younger, keeping that cell phone in their sports bra. I have also heard of younger female patients stating that they kept their cell phones in the front of their jeans or pants and now have reproductive issues. I would definitely need to consult PubMed to research if there is any science to back this up.
Working in Oncology it would be something to add to my education to help protect my patients and families of this potentially dangerous behavior.
At this point and time I would rather focus on safe behavior of not using cellphones or texting while driving.
If we wanted to develop a position statement for nurses on technology and health, how would we go about doing that?
This nurse advocates for a total ban on hand-held and hands free cellphone use while driving. This nurse also advocates for motor vehicle companies for mandatory installation of silencing cell phone alerts while the vehicle is on.
Have you ever looked at the warnings that are on your cell phone. If you have an iPhone, follow these directions to find them on your phone: Go to settings - - >General - - >About -->Legal. What do you think about what you found, in light of this module's content?
Well first off, OMG I have never seen so much! Most of the legal page was not helpful in answering this questions, but the section for RF exposure was enlightening.
According to my iPhone, it has ben tested and meets the applicable limits for radio frequency exposure. Now this hits a little close home as we just discussed what "acceptable limits" exactly are. Just like with the candy dispenser, there is no mention of who set this limitation.
Specific Absorption refers to the rate at which the body absorbs RF energy, The SAR limit is 1.6 watts per kilogram in countries that set the limit average over 1 gram of tissue and 2.0 watts per kilogram in countries that set the limit average over 10 grams of tissue
iPhone states in reduce exposure to RF energy, use of hands-free option, such as the built in speakerphone, the supplied headphones, or other similar accessories. Cases with metal parts may change the RF performance of the device, including its compliance with RF exposure guidelines, in a manner that has not been tested or certified.
The Federal Communications Commission with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau requires that cell phone manufacturers conduct their SAR testing to include the most severe, worst-case (and highest power) operating conditions for all the frequency bands used in the USA for that cell phone.
Mom always did say that cell phones would fry my brain, but I truly believed this was just being a high school teenager. I found a helpful photo that illustrates magnetic fields in comparison to other objects:
Should nurses be more active in staying abreast of information regarding radiation associated with tech devices and their associated potential risks?
I would have to say no. Cell phone devices have a low non-ionizing effect, that I do not believe they pose as large of an effect on humans. That being said, on unit I have had patients and families tell stories of having breast cancer, and stating when they were younger, keeping that cell phone in their sports bra. I have also heard of younger female patients stating that they kept their cell phones in the front of their jeans or pants and now have reproductive issues. I would definitely need to consult PubMed to research if there is any science to back this up.
Working in Oncology it would be something to add to my education to help protect my patients and families of this potentially dangerous behavior.
At this point and time I would rather focus on safe behavior of not using cellphones or texting while driving.
If we wanted to develop a position statement for nurses on technology and health, how would we go about doing that?
This nurse advocates for a total ban on hand-held and hands free cellphone use while driving. This nurse also advocates for motor vehicle companies for mandatory installation of silencing cell phone alerts while the vehicle is on.
I see you chose to focus on the safe behavior of not using cellphones or texting while driving rather than exposure. Given there is not much research available about this topic of exposure currently, it is fair to say that i am not also sure the information being shared in the general. I am not sure how much is EP or just opinion. I guess we i have to take the time to review the available evidence before I can come to a conclusion.
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