Should You Protect Yourself From Cell Phone Radiation?

Break out your tin-foil hat, we're talking about electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs are invisible waves of energy — also known as radiation — and they exist in everything from lightbulbs to cell phones. Recently, France put EMFs back in the spotlight after banning the iPhone 12 over radiation exposure concerns — which Apple soon resolved. But the situation might have left you wondering how EMFs affect your health and if protection from EMFs is really necessary.

What are EMFs and the types of radiation? 

EMFs exist naturally in the environment, including the sun's UV rays or the earth's magnetic field. "Basically everything that exists has [electromagnetic radiation]," says Frank de Vocht, BSc, MSc, PhD, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Bristol. 

However, there are two distinct types of electromagnetic radiation. First is "ionizing radiation" used in medical devices like X-rays and CT scans, which produces high-frequency EMFs. The second is non-ionizing radiation, which emits low-frequency EMFs from everyday items such as household appliances, smartphones, and power lines. 

What are the supposed health risks?

While concerns about a possible link between EMFs and cancer have been swirling for decades, a recent surge in products called EMF blockers is igniting new questions about whether you need EMF protection. 

The claim is that radiation from electronic devices can cause a wide range of issues, including headaches, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, reduced fertility, increased cancer risk, or, generally, "electromagnetic stress." Research on the health effects of EMFs has focused on investigating potential links between electrical power lines and childhood leukemia and cell phones and brain tumors — but over time, those connections haven't held up. So, what's the truth?

It's true that high-frequency EMFs from ionizing radiation can penetrate cells and potentially damage DNA, but this is why you wear those heavy protective blankets while getting an X-ray. Over time, DNA damage can increase your risk of cancer. As for everyday devices like your microwave and TV? These devices with non-ionizing radiation don't have enough energy to directly damage your cells and DNA, says de Vocht.

The only proven way that low-energy waves can affect the body is by heating an area of your body, like when you hold a hot cell phone. At "very, very high exposure," the radiation from these devices could potentially heat cells to a dangerous degree, "but the thing is, you don't encounter those kinds of exposure levels in normal life," says de Vocht. Plus, there's never been consistent evidence of an association between non-ionizing EMF and cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

Do you need EMF protection? 

With no clear proof of negative health effects from EMFs, there's no reason why you'd need to protect yourself from them, according to de Vocht. But that hasn't stopped companies from capitalizing on concerns with products ranging from phone cases to necklaces that promise EMF protection by "blocking" or "neutralizing" radiation.

Fabrics and devices that use metallic materials (i.e. the "Faraday cage") could theoretically block EMFs, but in order to meaningfully reduce your exposure, you'd have to go to extreme lengths, like sleeping in a radiation-blocking tent, de Vocht says. Plus, EMF blockers could end up doing more harm than good. For example, an EMF-blocking smartphone cover could make it more difficult for phones to pick up their cellular networks, forcing them to work harder and emit more radiation, says de Vocht. 

In the case of many EMF blockers on the market, the concern is that they do nothing at all, he says. "A lot of these devices have no practical way by which they could stop EMFs," he says. In fact, at least two companies in the space have been charged with "making false and unsubstantiated claims" by the Federal Trade Commission. 

theSkimm

Hearing the word radiation in connection to all the devices we're glued to in a technology-addicted society may give you pause, but before you spend cash on iffy EMF blockers, let The World Health Organization sum up your risk: "Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health."