5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Cell Phone Exposure

For the past several years, a small band of doctors and activists have been raising concerns about the possible connection between cell phone use and brain cancer. The cell phone industry — along with nearly all major national and international medical associations — have always responded with the same answer: there's no evidence that cell phone radiation can even affect the brain, let alone cause cancer. (More on Time.com: Study: Cell Phones Cause Changes in Brain Activity) Well, given the results of a new study published in the Feb. 23 Journal of the American Medical Association, at least one of those arguments may be put to rest. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that a cell phone's electromagnetic field can indeed cause changes in brain activity, with the regions closest to the antenna showing higher rates of energy consumption. Important note: this does not demonstrate that cell phone use can lead to cancer. Volkow showed only that changes in brain activity occurred because of cell phone radiation — not whether the changes were good, bad or neutral. But this is the first study to show conclusively that cell phone radiation, even in short durations, does something to the brain. That's enough to worry many people, especially parents of young children — kids have thinner skulls, and their brains can absorb higher levels of radiation. (More on Time.com: 6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life) The good news is that there are simple ways to reduce your exposure to cell phone radiation without going back to the paper cup-and-string method of telecommunication. Here are five easy steps you can take. Next: Use a Wired Headset