Motorola StarTAC specifications a mobile phone in which the antenna is located outside the vehicle

In the absence of conclusive information about any possible risk, what can concerned individuals do?

If there is a risk from these products—and at this point we do not know that there is—it is probably very small. But if people are concerned about avoiding even potential risks, there are simple steps they can take to do so. For example, time is a key factor in how much exposure a person receives. Those persons who spend long periods of time on their hand-held mobile phones could consider holding lengthy conversations on conventional phones and reserving the hand-held models for shorter conversations or for situations when other types of phones are not available.

People who must conduct extended conversations in their cars every day could switch to a type of mobile phone that places more distance between their bodies and the source of the RF, since the exposure level drops off dramatically with distance. For example, they could switch to:

•a mobile phone in which the antenna is located outside the vehicle

•a hand-held phone with a built-in antenna connected to a different antenna mounted on the outside of the car or built into a separate package

•a headset with a remote antenna to a mobile phone carried at the waist

Again, the scientific data do not demonstrate that mobile phones are harmful. But if people are concerned about the radio frequency energy from these products, taking the simple precautions outlined above can reduce any possible risk.

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