Radiation from cellphones is not hazardous to your health, government scientists say

If you spend a lot of time on your mobile phone, you’ll be happy to learn that your habit isn’t hazardous to your health, according to a new government safety report. The lowest level of radiation for rats was 1.5 watts per kilogram of body weight, which was equivalent to the maximum amount of exposure allowed for humans, the NTP said. “We’re seeing both positive and negative effects in these animals.” Bucher also cautioned that the mice and rats in the study were exposed to far more radiation than humans experience through normal mobile phone use. In the nearly 20 years since that request, hundreds of studies by scientists at the NTP and elsewhere have allowed the FDA to say with confidence that “the current safety limits for cell phone radiation remain acceptable for protecting the public health,” Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement. MORE IN SCIENCE Why diets backfire: A year or more after weight loss, the desire to eat grows stronger This is how many pounds you can lose in a year by standing for six hours a day instead of sitting Polar bears’ bodies work 60% harder than thought — which makes surviving climate change even tougher UPDATES: 3:35 p.m.: The story has been updated with comments from Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical and scientific officer for the American Cancer Society.