Topic: Cell Phone Radiation

California's Department of Public Health has issued guidelines to limit exposure to cell phone radiation, recommending the use of speakerphones and keeping devices away from the body. The move follows a legal battle by researcher Joel Moskowitz to release state data on the risks. Meanwhile, France has announced a ban on cell phones in public schools starting in 2018.

A government study by the National Toxicology Program found a link between high doses of cell phone radiation and cancerous tumors in male rats. While the FDA maintains there is no conclusive human link, the report has reignited the debate over the safety of long-term mobile device use.

A segment from the multicultural talk show "The Real" features the hosts discussing the dangers of sleeping with cell phones near their heads. One host, Tamara Mowry-Housley, suggests a "scientific test" involving putting a phone near a microwave to hear "weird noises." John C. Dvorak finds it significant that none of the hosts challenged the idea that cell phones cause cancer, indicating a shift in mainstream public perception.

KTLA reporter Lou Parker is criticized for a commentary segment in which she claimed that airport body scanners emit the same amount of radiation as a cell phone conversation. The hosts dispute this comparison, arguing that such media reports are intended to pacify the public regarding the safety of x-ray technology at airports like LAX.