San
Francisco is known for its green-minded
inclinations and diverse community. Now it is about to
become known as the first city that has passed
legislation concerning cell phone radio wave
"radiation".
The San Francisco board of supervisors,
or council, voted 10-1 to approve a measure to force vendors to pay
to put stickers on products or put up signs detailing how much radio
wave radiation is dished out by various products. Supervisor
Sophie Maxwell notes, "This is about helping people make informed
choices."
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced he
will sign the legislation into law. Newson's spokesman, Tony
Winnicker, states, "This is not about discouraging people from
using their cell phones. This is a modest commonsense measure
to provide greater transparency and information to consumers."
John
Walls, vice-president of public affairs for the Cellular
Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), disagrees.
His organization, which represents cell phone makers, is opposed to
the measure. He states, "Rather than inform, the ordinance
will potentially mislead consumers with point-of-sale requirements
suggesting that some phones are 'safer' than others, based on radio
frequency emissions."
The CTIA successfully defeated a
similar measure in California's state senate. That measure was
proposed by Senator Mark Leno.
Perhaps the strangest aspect of
the law is its rather weak provisions for enforcement. Those
who don't post can be fined up to $300 USD for the violation.
However, posting the information and keeping it up to date could cost
well over $300 for large retailers like Best Buy. Retailers
have not yet announced how they will react to the law.
Some
researchers and advocates argue that cell
phone "radiation" is a danger to the human body.
A handful
of high profile doctors have even claimed to be on the verge
of publishing major information detailing how cell phones can cause
cancer.
Thus far, some studies have suggested
a link between cell phone use and fast-growing tumors, while
others have suggested that such a link does
not appear
to exist.
While
the cell phone-cancer link is unproven at best, there does appear to
be a much clearer possibility of smartphones impacting fertility.
Even a change of a few degrees can throw off sperm counts in males,
and with many males keeping hot smartphones in pockets, there may be
a risk on this front. Recent studies have offered
early evidence in support of this possibility.
