Last updated April 12, 2019
The decision by Health Canada to include a warning about the dangers of young people having too much exposure to cell phones did not go far enough, believes one scientist. Magda Havas, an environmental toxicologist who is also a part of the Wireless Safety Council of Canada, says that the warning should include kinds of other radio waves but also adds that she cannot understand why it took the agency so long to include the warning to young people in the first place. With the World Health Organization having acknowledged that cell phones are “possibly carcinogenic” in May, Havas believes that Health Canada has waited too long to put out their advisory.
An estimated 24 million cell phones are owned and used by people in Canada. Havas thinks that Health Canada should also place limitations on some of the other source of radio frequency radiation such as Wi-Fi, cell phone towers, and wireless baby monitors. “We also have evidence that people who live near cell phone antennas are becoming ill,” she adds. “We know that it affects sperm quality, for example, so it’s more than just cancer.” While it is currently unclear just how much cell phone or other radiation children can be exposed to before being harmed by them, Havas claims that the studies that have been made so far are not encouraging. Health Canada however claims that studies linking cell phones to ill health are currently a long way from being conclusive.