Should I Worry About… Driving After a Drink?

Posted on May 24, 2013 by admin

Drinking and driving is serious business. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that states lower the current blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent or lower.

“We continue to kill 10,000 people annually in these crashes (involving alcohol), injuring 173,000, and 27,000 of those injuries are debilitating, life-altering injuries,” says NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman. Lowering the legal driving BAC limit was one of 19 recommendations released in a NTSB report titled “Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving.”

Experts say it’s tough to provide a number of drinks per hour that would set you above the legal limit of 0.08 (or the suggested limit of 0.05) because there are just so many factors that go into how your drinking affects your body. The strength of the drink (a strong beer versus a light one, for example), whether or not you have food in your stomach, how quickly you’re going through drinks, and your weight all come into play, says Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD, professor of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Another big factor is serving size; think about the heavy pours you get at certain restaurants, and check out this infographic to see how the serving sizes of different drinks compare.

Alcohol can also affect women differently than men: When you drink alcohol, the ethanol diffuses into all the water-soluble parts of the body, explains Wagenaar, who has been doing research on road safety and alcohol issues since the early 1980s. In general, women naturally have a higher percentage of fat tissue than men—which means less water-based tissue for the ethanol to diffuse into. So even if a woman and a man of the same weight consume the same amount of alcohol, the woman will end up with a slightly higher BAC.

Under normal circumstances, if you’re 200 pounds, it’s unlikely that you’ll hit the proposed 0.05 limit after two drinks—”but that assumes some time passes between the drinks,” says Wagenaar. “If you weigh 90 pounds, at the other extreme, well then it’s possible—and not at all unlikely—that one drink on an empty stomach could hit a woman to the (proposed) 0.05 limit,” he adds.

For a 140-pound woman, one drink would probably put her around the 0.03 BAC level, says Wagenaar.

Those are all rough estimates, of course; since you probably don’t carry a breathalyzer around in your clutch, there’s really no way to know exactly how a drink will affect you on any given night.

In its recent report, the NTSB cited research showing that by 0.05 BAC, most people experience visual and cognitive impairments. The report also notes that more than 100 other countries—including the majority of European countries—have a BAC limit of 0.05 or lower. “The risk is very definitely there, and it’s not insignificant at 0.05,” says Wagenaar. “That’s why 0.05 is a logical legal standard that’s in place in most developed countries in the world.”

At 0.05 BAC, people are 38 percent more likely to be in a crash than people who are completely sober, according to research cited in the NTSB report. At 0.08 BAC, people are 169 percent more likely to be in a crash than people who haven’t had anything to drink.

Here’s the deal, though: Regardless of whether the legal BAC limit is set at 0.08 or 0.05, the fact remains that even a little bit of alcohol does affect your ability to drive safely. “When you need to cognitively attend to more than one thing at a time—which is a clear part of driving—those types of abilities begin to deteriorate even at the low levels of drinking,” says Wagenaar. “So the safest is to not drink and drive at all—I mean zero BAC.”

If you’re planning to drink, have a designated driver with you, or take a cab home (save taxi numbers in your phone beforehand!). There are even apps and websites out there for connecting you with a designated driver that will get you and your car home safely, like StearClear and this National Directory of Designated Driver Services.

The verdict: A glass of wine or a beer over a long dinner probably won’t put you over the proposed legal limit of 0.05 BAC—depending on your weight, how big/strong the drink is, and other factors. But of course the safest personal policy is not getting behind the wheel after any drinks. And if you educate yourself now about the resources available to get you home safely, you should be able to avoid driving yourself there—even if you end up drinking when you hadn’t planned on it.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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“Should I Worry About Arsenic in Chicken?”

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

Every week, the Scoop examines alarming new claims to help you make sense of the latest health research.

When you eat a grilled chicken sandwich, you expect it to pack a lot of protein and some fat. But recent research suggests it might have another, more sinister ingredient: Conventional chicken may contain inorganic arsenic, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers bought chicken from grocery stores in 10 different U.S. cities and tested each of the samples for roxarsone, a drug sometimes added to chicken feed to encourage weight gain. Why? Previous research suggest that it may degrade into toxic inorganic arsenic during cooking. (Arsenic also occurs naturally in water, air, soil, and food, but is less toxic when it’s organic.)

Roxarsone was detected in 20 of the 40 conventional samples and none of the 25 USDA-certified organic samples—which might help explain why the conventional chicken contained about four times the inorganic arsenic of the organic chicken.

Scary, right? Well, not exactly. The cooked conventional chicken contained about two parts per billion of inorganic arsenic, while the cooked organic chicken contained about half a part per billion—and both levels are way, way under the FDA standard that allows for 500 parts per billion. “I don’t think there is any reason to limit chicken consumption on the basis of this study,” says Melina Jampolis, MD, an internist and board certified physician nutrition specialist based in Los Angeles.

In fact, lead researcher Keeve Nachman, PhD, director of the Center for a Livable Future’s Farming for the Future program at Johns Hopkins University, says the study was conducted to encourage the FDA to ban the use of roxarsone and the similar animal drug nitarsone—not to discourage consumers from eating chicken.

While exposure to this amount of inorganic arsenic could, over time, very slightly increase the risk of diseases like lung and bladder cancer, the levels found in the chicken tested were so small that they’re unlikely to cause problems, says Jampolis. What’s more, the poultry used in the study was purchased before July 2011, when the drug company Alpharma voluntarily suspended sales of roxarsone. So while the FDA has not gone as far as to ban the use of roxarsone, it’s also not in any of the poultry you’d buy today. Nachman and Jampolis say they hope that this study encourages the FDA to keep potentially detrimental animal drugs off the market.

The verdict: There’s definitely no need to stop eating chicken or limit your consumption—only very small amounts of inorganic arsenic were found in the samples tested, and the likely cause of it is no longer being consumed by chicken.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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“Should I Worry About Wearing Lipstick?”

Posted on May 8, 2013 by admin

Every week, the Scoop examines alarming new claims to help you make sense of the latest health research.

Listen up before you pucker up: Your lipstick and lip gloss may contain a concerning amount of toxic metals, suggests new research from UC Berkeley.

While this isn’t entirely new news—past studies have examined the existence of metals in lipstick and lip gloss—this research compared the probable intakes of the metals in 32 common brands. Since there aren’t existing guidelines about how much of these metals are allowed in cosmetics, researchers compared the levels in lipsticks to the current guidelines for drinking water.

What they found: Using many of these products liberally or reapplying them multiple times could potentially result in overexposure to aluminum, cadmium, and manganese. Lead was also detected in some of the products, but its levels generally didn’t exceed the acceptable daily intake.

So while most products contain pretty small concentrations of these metals, excessive use could possibly lead to health issues like stomach tumors and nervous system damage. Eek.

Lead study researcher Sa Liu, PhD, says that these findings should raise a red flag for the FDA to conduct more extensive research. “We found most of metals in all 32 products tested, which indicates to us that this is a general problem for lipsticks and lip glosses,” she says. Liu also says they did not find a pattern indicating certain brands or products contain more of the metals than others, so she couldn’t advise which to avoid—especially since “there are hundreds of products out there, and they are constantly changing.”

Michelle L. Bell, PhD, a professor of environmental health at Yale University, agrees that this study shows cosmetics should likely be examined more closely. “The findings suggest that lipstick and lip gloss may pose health risks, but as the study was small, more research is needed with a larger sample,” she says.

The verdict: While this research definitely doesn’t prove that lipstick use leads to dangerous health consequences, it does suggest that you may be ingesting a small amount of toxic metals each time you apply your favorite shade. You don’t have to ditch your lipsticks and glosses completely, but you may want to aim for lighter use and avoid applying more than necessary. And if you have any kids at home, make sure they don’t play with your lip products, says Liu and Bell. No levels of some of these metals are safe for children, whose bodies and systems are still developing.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Do You Think the Pill Should Be Available OTC?

Posted on May 7, 2013 by admin

The debate over whether or not emergency contraception should be sold over-the-counter is raging. But what about your everyday B.C.? Sixty-two percent of women support over-the-counter access to birth control pills, according to a new nationally representative survey.

To examine the demand for hormonal contraception without a prescription, researchers surveyed 2,046 women across the country who were considered at risk of unintended pregnancy—meaning they had had sex with a man in the past year, weren’t pregnant or trying to become pregnant, hadn’t delivered a baby in the last two months, weren’t sterilized, and didn’t have a partner who was sterilized. Not only did 62.2 percent say they’re in favor of OTC birth control, but about 30 percent of the respondents who weren’t currently using birth control or were on a less effective method (such as condoms alone) said they would likely start using birth control pills if they were offered OTC.

A big benefit that would result from birth control pills being sold OTC: easier, more convenient access—which could potentially mean a decrease in the unintended pregnancy rate. No more jumping through hoops or missing half-days of work to get your Rx re-written.

On the other hand, concerns about OTC BC include fears that women who shouldn’t be on birth control pills for health reasons would take them—like women who smoke or have a history of migraines. Another concern is that women wouldn’t visit the gynecologist for pap smears or STI testing if they weren’t also visiting for a pill scrip.

That being said, in a committee opinion released last November, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) threw their support behind the push for OTC oral contraceptives, writing, “Weighing the risks versus the benefits based on currently available data, OCs should be available over-the-counter.”

And now, from this nationally representative survey, we know that the majority of women support birth control pills hitting store shelves, too. But if you’re part of that majority, don’t expect rollouts in the near future: “There’s a lot that needs to happen in order for birth control pills to go over the counter,” says Eve Espey, MD, MPH, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico and chair of ACOG’s Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. A pharmaceutical company would have to sign on, pills would have to be studied in an OTC setting, and the FDA would have to approve the move, says Espey.

TELL US: Are you for or against over-the-counter birth control pills? Would you get refills for—or get started on—the pill that way if it were an option? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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“Should I Worry About Driving When I’m Tired?”

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin

Every week, the Scoop examines alarming new claims to help you make sense of the latest health research.

You obviously know not to get behind the wheel when you’re intoxicated—but what about when you’re exhausted? Fatigue was the cause of 20 percent of all documented crashes in a recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Center for Vulnerable Road User Safety.

Researchers recruited 100 drivers who commute into or out of the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area and equipped their cars with unobtrusive sensors and video cameras to study naturalistic driving behavior. They also collected 20,000 randomly selected 6-second video segments, which let them notice signs of sleepiness—including closed eyes, head bobbing, and even drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

The result: In 20 percent of all car crashes and 16 percent of all near crashes documented in the study, the driver showed signs of fatigue. While that number is definitely shocking, this was a relatively small study—so it’s unclear whether the stats hold up for the entire country. The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) shows that only 2.5 percent of fatal crashes in 2010 were the result of drowsy driving, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, either, since it doesn’t account for fender benders or serious but non-fatal accidents. What we do know is that there were 750 fatal crashes due to drowsy driving in 2010 alone, and the recent study indicates that number of less-severe accidents may be even higher.

Unfortunately, there is no legal limit when it comes to sluggish driving, so you’ll have to monitor yourself for signs of extreme drowsiness. If you’re sleep deprived—whether it’s from not enough sleep or poor-quality sleep—you shouldn’t get behind the wheel, says sleep expert Michael Breus, MD. So how can you tell the difference between your usual morning grogginess and being too drowsy to drive? If you fell asleep in less than five minutes the night before, it’s a sure sign you’re deprived, says Breus. Other signs include having trouble focusing or misplacing objects like your phone or keys. If you want a quick litmus test, Breus suggests lying down and closing your eyes for 30 seconds before getting behind the wheel. If you feel like you could truly fall asleep and you have trouble getting up, you shouldn’t be driving.

If you’re already in the car, watch for warning signs like incessant yawning, frequent blinking, trouble keeping your eyes open and focused, and not being able to remember driving the last few miles, says Jose Ucles, from the Office of Communications and Consumer Information at the NHTSA. If you notice any of these cues or happen to hit the rumble strips on the side of the road, it’s definitely time to get off the road. “The results are staggering,” says Breus. “If you’re going 60 miles per hour and close your eyes, it takes just three seconds to go off the road. You really don’t have a lot of time to react.”

It’s also important to remember that if you’ve taken any sleep aids in the last 24 hours, they may still be in your system. And avoid all alcohol if you’re already groggy. Just one glass of wine can multiply the effects of sleep deprivation—even though you may be under the legal alcohol limit, says Breus.

So what if you are driving when you realize you shouldn’t be? The NHTSA suggests pulling over, drinking two cups of coffee, then taking a 15-20 minute nap so you get a little sleep before the caffeine takes effect. That said, sleeping in a parking lot or on the side of the road isn’t exactly the safest thing. If you can’t stop at a hotel, leave your car in a nearby parking lot and call a cab or take public transportation home. Worst-case scenario, stopping to grab two cups of coffee, then waiting 15-20 minutes for it to take effect before driving to the closest place where you can catch some Zzzz’s is your next best option.

The verdict: Drowsy driving may not be as dangerous as drunk driving, but it accounted for 750 fatal crashes in 2010. And without any true guidelines, it’s crucial to monitor yourself to make sure you’re alert enough to drive. If you’re unsure, opt to have someone else take the wheel.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Why You Should Read Maya Angelou’s New Memoir

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

Every month, the Scoop hosts our 60-second book club, where we invite you to take a quick peek inside a buzzed-about new book and let us know what you think. This month’s pick: Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou.

If you and your mom are more like oil and water than peanut butter and jelly, there is hope that you’ll be able to cultivate your bond—at least, if Maya Angelou’s history is any indication. In her new memoir, Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou shares how she went from refusing to call her mom “mother” to holding the woman’s hand as much as possible during the last months of her life.

Vivan Baxter, mother of the famed writer, left Angelou and her brother, Bailey, with their grandmother when the children were 3 and 5, respectively. The children wouldn’t see their mother again until 10 years later.

Angelou recounts being skeptical of Baxter when they first reunited, wondering to Bailey why their mother had abandoned them:

“My brother and I have a question we must ask you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

She said, “I know that all I really have to do is stay black and die. So, what is your question?”

“Why did you send us away, and why didn’t you come back and get us?”

She said, “Sit down, children.”

Bailey held a chair for me and we both sat down.

“Your father and I began to dislike each other almost as soon as we got married. Then both of you were born and we had to think about what we would do with you. We tried for nearly a year but we realized there was nothing that could keep us together. His mother wrote to us and said to send the children to her. When we got her letter, we went out, and for the first time in a year, we had an evening without cursing each other out and slamming out of a restaurant.”

She started to smile. “I missed you but I knew you were in the best place for you. I would have been a terrible mother. I had no patience. Maya, when you were about two years old, you asked me for something. I was busy talking, so you hit my hand, and I slapped you off the porch without thinking. It didn’t mean I didn’t love you; it just meant I wasn’t ready to be a mother. I’m explaining to you, not apologizing. We would have all been sorry had I kept you.”

Baxter’s total honesty—and unwavering loyalty—are a big part of the reason that Angelou soon “came to adore” her mother.

The book also explains how Angelou went from growing up in racist, impoverished conditions to becoming such a prolific writer. It’s perfect for some inspirational weekend reading—or a last-minute Mother’s Day gift.

Have you read the book? Are you going through a rough patch with your mom? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

photo: courtesy of Random House

thumbnail photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Should You Get Your Fertility Tested NOW?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

Not sure when or where babies fit into your future? Elisabeth Röhm, aka Serena from Law & Order, wasn’t either. At 34, she thought she had time to figure it out—until a visit to her doctor revealed that her odds of her conceiving a baby naturally were close to zilch. Röhm’s new memoir, Baby Steps: Having the Child I Always Wanted (Just Not as I Expected), comes out today. In the book, she shares how in vitro fertilization (IVF) helped make her dreams of being a mother a reality—despite complications along the way. Röhm dishes on the details on the book, along with why it’s important for women to take ownership of their fertility early on:

In your book, you’re telling the full story of your infertility and IVF treatment for the first time. How long had you been trying to have a baby when you found out about your fertility issues?
Well, my fiancé, Ron, and I were open to the idea of having children but weren’t actively trying at the time. Without giving too much of the book away, I was actually encouraged by a person who had missed his opportunity to have children to go to the doctor just to get a fertility status report for myself, which is when I found out things weren’t looking so great.

So what was your particular roadblock, according to the doctor?
My hormone levels were really high, which indicated that my eggs were in an accelerated aging process. My doctor said that it was unlikely I would ever get pregnant naturally, and that I needed to be proactive if I wanted to have a family at all. That was a shock to find out at 34.

No kidding. What was it like to hear the doctor say traditional conception was practically out of the question?
I felt so many things—fear, hopelessness, shame. I was upset that I couldn’t give Ron the fairy tale. Infertility can feel like the greatest disappointment of all time because your ability to make a baby is so tangled up with your identity as a woman.

That must have been tough to process, especially since it came as such a surprise. How soon after getting the news did you start thinking about the possibility of assisted fertility?
I actually made moves pretty quickly, despite my disappointment. I’ve always wanted to be a parent; even as a teenager, I would fantasize about my future baby. IVF was really my only option to make that a reality, so I just put my blinders on and said, “Okay, I’m making this baby.”

The IVF process sounds pretty intense. What’s it really like to go through?
There are definitely highs and lows. On one hand, you’re very focused on what you have to do—but there are also feelings of embarrassment that you’re not “enough of a woman” to get pregnant naturally. It takes this beautiful act of love and turns it in to a science project. There’s this guy giving you shots in your butt and you’re thinking to your partner, “I’m sorry we can’t do this the traditional way.”

What advice do you wish someone had given you during your treatment?
To not be so private. I kept a lot of thoughts to myself, but I should have allowed myself to be more vulnerable, especially with Ron. Women need to talk about what they’re going through.

Why do you think many women are hesitant to share their fertility struggles?
We don’t like to talk about things that make us feel like we’ll be judged—but we shouldn’t suffer in silence, either. Women love to talk about pregnancy and baby showers, so why not talk about how you got pregnant? Opening that conversation can help you fully accept and work through your situation, as well.

Your daughter Easton is now 3—so it’s been almost four years since you went through IVF. What made you decide to tell your story now?
I had complicated feelings about my situation. At first, you don’t want to tell anyone because on some level you feel there’s a part of you that’s broken. But after seeing this stigma surrounding infertility, I thought to myself, “Why am I being silent?” I saw an opportunity to speak out and help other women going through what I went through.

Why do you think “fertility awareness” is so important for all women—even if potential baby plans are years away?
You don’t want to find out at 38—once you’ve scaled all your mountains and slain all your dragons—that you’ve run out of options. Unfortunately, time is not on your side, but you can have a baby your way anyway. Be observant with your body, and if you want kids, consider having your hormones and fertility levels checked each year. Think of it as an insurance policy for the future.

Note: While there is no general guideline for when women who aren’t actively trying to have a child should see a fertility specialist, you may want to undergo testing if you notice signs of fertility trouble, says Alice Domar, PhD, the director of mind/body services at Boston IVF. These may include irregular or absent menstrual cycles, very painful periods, or a history of a pelvic infection, a ruptured appendix, or known endometriosis. Of course, having trouble conceiving for several months—or worrying excessively about it—are also signs you might want to get your fertility checked out, regardless of your age.

Buy your copy of Baby Steps, on shelves April 30.
Connect with Elisabeth on Twitter or Facebook.

photo: Da Capo Lifelong Books

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“Should I Worry About Wearing a Bra?”

Posted on April 23, 2013 by admin

Every week, the Scoop examines alarming new claims to help you make sense of the latest health research.

A French researcher made major waves last week when he dropped a shocker on the world, announcing a new study finds wearing a bra can cause premature bra droop. The question on everyone’s minds now: Is proud-to-be-bra-free Miley Cyrus onto something?

The 15-year French study looked at 330 young women and found that breasts constrained by bras didn’t develop the muscle and skin tone that can keep them naturally firm, according to the study author, who was interviewed by a French radio station earlier this month. Women in his study who ditched their boulder holders, however, saw measured improvement in the perkiness of their pair.

Don’t trash your underwires and demi-cups just yet, though. Experts have cast a skeptical eye on the unpublished study, which joins a long list of later-debunked research blaming bras for everything from circulation problems to breast cancer. “The preliminary results are intriguing, but it’s not clear if the researcher looked at women who only had smaller breasts, which don’t sag as much over time, or if he included women of all breast sizes,” says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale University School of Medicine. “And did he factor in that gravity naturally takes its toll on all body tissue? With so many variables to account for, it’s hard to accept the results.”

That’s not to say that bras have zero effect on your health. An ill-fitting brassiere can leave you with neck and shoulder pain, as well as stooped posture. Garments made of synthetic, non-breathable fabric can trap sweat-loving bacteria, leading to skin issues like rashes and breakouts, says Minkin. Also, if you’ve ever hit the gym sans sports bra, you know that even a little bit of boob bounce can result in serious breast and nipple pain.

Still worried about sag? There’s no solid proof that wearing a bra makes a difference, says Minkin. The real droopage offender is the breast growth and shrinkage that happens when a woman diets, gets pregnant, and/or breast-feeds. Anything that makes breasts expand and contract weakens the surrounding skin and tissues, which makes them lose elasticity and take on a deflated appearance, says Minkin.

The Verdict: Whether you prefer hanging loose or keeping your girls under wraps, wearing a bra is mostly about comfort. So no matter which side of the fence you fall on, there’s no need to freak out—your choice won’t have a major effect on your health.

photo: Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock

More From Women’s Health:
How to Measure Bra Size
History of the Bra
Bra Problems, Fixed!

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This Should Boost Your Self-Confidence

Posted on April 18, 2013 by admin

Get ready to feel way better about yourself. Dove’s latest ad campaign features a sketch artist drawing women based on either their own descriptions of themselves or a stranger’s descriptions of them—and here’s the shocker: The sketches drawn based on a stranger’s description are more positive and more attractive than those drawn based on the women’s descriptions of themselves. Dove’s message: You are more beautiful than you think.

In the following video, an FBI-trained sketch artist draws portraits of women while they’re sitting behind a curtain, explaining their features. While describing themselves, the women tend to dwell on their negative features, like a protruding chin or a rounder face. Here’s the thing: Each woman also met and spoke with a random stranger prior to being sketched, and for the second part of the video, the sketch artist draws another portrait of the same woman—this time based solely on the stranger’s description. The end result is a pair of portraits that look totally different. While both pictures resemble each of the seven women in the ad campaign, the stranger’s sketches are more flattering across the board; meanwhile, the sketches drawn from the women’s own descriptions tended to look like older, less attractive versions of the same person.

The bottom line: You’re probably your own harshest critic. And even if you think your forehead, wrinkly skin, or nose is your most prominent feature, that may be the last thing a person remembers about you.

Check out the ego-boosting video below

Want more confidence boosting tips? These will help silence even your inner hater:

Silence Your Inner Critic

Boost Your Self-Confidence and Get Ahead

How to Be Nicer to Yourself

Bikini Confidence Boosters

Boost Your Self-Esteem

photo: RealBeautySketches.Dove.us

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Should I Worry About Cell Phone Radiation?

Posted on April 16, 2013 by admin

Name five adults you know who don’t have a cell phone. Not possible, right? We take owning them for granted—but there’s also continued concern about the potential health risks of cell phone radiation. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently opened an inquiry to determine if it should update its current policies and limits on exposure to cell phones’ radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

A phone’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is a measure of the amount of radiofrequency (RF) energy absorbed by the body when the phone is being used. The FCC’s current limit for public exposure is set at an SAR of 1.6 watts per kilogram, and all cell phone manufacturers have to comply. This standard has been in effect since 1996—long before cell phones became so pervasive. The FCC’s website states, “While the FCC has continuously monitored research and conferred with experts in this field, and is confident in its RF exposure guidelines and the soundness of the basis for its rules, it is a matter of good government to periodically reexamine regulations and their implementation.”

One thing that should make you say hmmm: Your cell phone manual contains a warning about a safe distance at which you should keep your phone from your body—and it’s usually a fraction of an inch. Who knew, right? And that’s the problem: Most of us hold our cell phones right up to our ear or against our leg in our pocket—potentially increasing the amount of RF energy that’s being delivered to our bodies to beyond the tested and touted amounts.

So what’s the general consensus of research on the dangers (or lack thereof) of cell phone radiation? That’s the thing: There really isn’t one. While some studies say cell phones don’t cause harm, others indicate that they do. For example, analyses of data from the large and multi-national Interphone study, published in 2010, drew mixed conclusions about whether long-term cell phone radiation exposure had any association with the risk of developing glioma, a type of brain tumor, and no causation was established.

In 2011, a group of 31 scientists from 14 countries met at the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to evaluate the health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as the ones emitted by wireless communication devices. In the end, they classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” That means that, while not conclusive, the evidence was strong enough to say that there could be a risk. “The ‘possible’ means we can’t give assurance of safety because there is some signal of harm, and yet it’s not so definite,” says Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, director of the University of Southern California Institute for Global Health and chairman of the IARC working group.

But other researchers already say they feel certain that cell phones are a cause for concern: Henry Lai, PhD, a research professor in the University of Washington’s bioengineering department, has been studying radiation for more than three decades. He says that, while a causal relationship hasn’t been established yet, “the bottom line is that there is some evidence suggesting that they’re not safe—and this is something that we use everyday.”

No one’s entirely sure yet what the long-term effects are—cell phones haven’t been around long enough. (Some tumors, for example, can take upwards of three decades to develop.) Many of the studies also have flaws—for example, with self-reported data, people may not be able to remember how often they really used their cell phones. So unfortunately, the only clear consensus from experts is that more research needs to be done.

What it’s safe to assume: It’s going to take a while for experts to reach any sort of formal conclusion. For that reason, it’s probably best to be on the safe side and adjust your cell phone habits. Consider putting these four ways to reduce your exposure to radiation while using your cell into action.

The verdict: You don’t have to give up your cell phone, but it’s probably smart to make some habit tweaks—like investing in headphones and not sleeping with it next to your bed. When there’s this much on the line, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Athens Java Hut

Serving Jittery Joe's Coffee, Cecilia Villaveces, Cakes and Italian Gelato

Tag Archives: Should

Should I Worry About… Driving After a Drink?

“Should I Worry About Arsenic in Chicken?”

“Should I Worry About Wearing Lipstick?”

Do You Think the Pill Should Be Available OTC?

“Should I Worry About Driving When I’m Tired?”

Why You Should Read Maya Angelou’s New Memoir

Should You Get Your Fertility Tested NOW?

“Should I Worry About Wearing a Bra?”

This Should Boost Your Self-Confidence

Should I Worry About Cell Phone Radiation?