Your smartphone is likely one of the largest sources of radiofrequency radiation exposure in your daily life. Your phone stays close to your body for hours each day and continuously emits radiation.
The good news? You don’t need to abandon your phone. We’ll explain the simple changes you can make to significantly reduce your exposure.
The Health Impacts of RF Radiation
Before we dive into the phone-specific strategies, let’s quickly cover the health risks of RF radiation. (For a deeper dive on EMFs, check out our article: “What are EMFs? A rational, skeptical, curious person’s guide.”)
While the research around the health effects of this toxin and how it impacts various people continues to evolve, we believe the current body of scientific evidence supports taking a precautionary approach, particularly given how quickly the technology is evolving.
The potential risks of RF radiation were highlighted in the United States’ National Toxicology Program’s 2018 report. After a 10-year, $25 million study on radiofrequency radiation, they found clear evidence of an association with tumors in the hearts of male rats, and some evidence of an association with tumors in the brains and adrenal glands of male rats. And this was from 2G and 3G radiation - not 4G or 5G, which are both higher frequency.
Additionally, a comprehensive analysis by Dr. Henry Lai from the University of Washington found that greater than 70% of the 2,000-plus studies on radiofrequency radiation exposure reported significant oxidative, genetic, neurological, or reproductive/developmental effects.
So, What Can You Do About It?
Fundamentally, the best ways to reduce EMF exposure from your cell phone are twofold.
The first is increasing the distance from the source. EMF strength decreases significantly as distance increases. So very small increases in distance create dramatic reductions in exposure. In many cases, the difference between being an inch away from a source and a foot away from that same source can be 100 or even 1,000 times less exposure!
The second is reducing duration of exposure - the less time you spend exposed to EMF-emitting devices, the lower your overall exposure burden becomes.
As we’ll talk more about momentarily, people ask us all the time about different devices and gadgets to “fix” the radiation, but in reality, the best solutions are free! More distance and less time will have more impact than anything else.
We recommend the following steps:
Increase Distance: Keep your phone at least 1 foot away from your body whenever possible. We recommend carrying it in a bag, backpack, or purse instead of directly against your body, and using speaker mode for calls rather than holding it to your head. Even a few inches of separation makes a big difference.
Switch to Airplane Mode Whenever You Can: Your phone transmits RF radiation continuously, even when idle. Switch to airplane mode whenever you don’t need connectivity, particularly at night. On iPhones, this requires a few extra steps: after selecting airplane mode, make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also actually turned off in settings.
Use Wired Headphones: Bluetooth headphones emit continuous radiofrequency radiation and represent a direct exposure pathway, as there is no distance from the head. Replacing them with wired headphones eliminates this source of wireless radiation entirely. We recommend any wired headphones, such as Apple EarPods, or an in-ear monitor option like the Truthear Hexa, paired with a Moondrop FreeDSP cable.
Limit Phone Use in Vehicles: This can be more harmful for a couple of reasons. First, in moving vehicles, your phone is constantly connecting with and searching for new towers to maintain the connection, which increases radiation. Second, in an enclosed car, radiation waves can bounce around and amplify. It’s best to keep your phone in airplane mode, but if that’s tricky, opening the windows and using your phone near the window can help.
Avoid “Anti-Radiation” Gadgets: You’ve probably seen products like harmonizer stickers, pendants, or chips that claim to neutralize EMFs. We don’t recommend them. The claims are vague, nearly impossible to verify, and so far, no convincing evidence has emerged. Could they be doing something subtle? Maybe, but there’s no solid evidence (if you have any, please send it our way!). Of course, if using these gadgets makes you feel better, then go right ahead. We don’t see any harm in them either!
Shielding products (like paints or fabrics), on the other hand, do block RF radiation, and we sometimes use shielding paint or canopies in homes after proper testing. But we don’t recommend them for personal items like phone cases, since shielding can redirect radiation in unexpected ways and unintentionally make the problem worse. We’d rather you address the fields in other ways, unless you get expert consultation to ensure you’re shielding correctly.
Avoid Use When Charging: Phones and chargers also create AC electrical fields when plugged in. Avoid touching your phone while it’s charging, as the cable creates a direct pathway for these fields to conduct into your body.
Real-World Findings from Our Assessments
We tested a San Francisco home where we identified multiple internal RF sources throughout the house and gave remediation recommendations for each. However, in the master bedroom, our testing revealed significant external sources from the neighbor next door, due to a router positioned on the other side of the shared wall. These levels placed them into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category according to our Lightwork Exposure Index.
We advised this client on advanced shielding options, including sleeping under a canopy or using shielding paint on the wall.