10 Tips for Reducing Your Exposure to Wireless Radiation during Pregnancy

Common sense tips for pregnant mamas on how to stay safe to avoid wireless radiation exposure

Wireless technology is still so relatively new that it’s hard to know all of its longterm effects on our bodies. At Sassy Mama we are all about empowerment through information and education, and we figure it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to protecting our bubs in the womb. Please welcome environmental health scholar Patti Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education to give some more background on this ever-developing field, and steps you can take to keep you and your baby safe.

For several years now, scientists around the world have been looking at the issue of wireless radiation from cell phones and other devices and its potential impact on human health. There have been numerous studies showing increased risks of cancer, reproductive issues and other health impacts on adults, but despite increasing evidence of potential harm, few public awareness campaigns have made much progress convincing people to change their habits.

Of course, change is hard, and people have become very attached to their electronic gadgets. These days our phones, tablets and laptops can do things that were unimaginable even a decade ago. As a result, it’s almost impossible to convince your average person to change their behaviour just because the research says there might be a risk to their health.

But pregnant women are not average people.

The instinct to protect a child from harm is powerful, and it begins in the first few weeks of pregnancy. That’s when most women begin to feel that awesome sense of responsibility that comes with caring for a new life. Suddenly they’re hyper-aware of what they eat, what they drink, and the air they breathe. They want to make sure their little one arrives in this world healthy.

American organisation Grassroots Environmental Education, in collaboration with another non-profit, Environmental Health Trust, has developed a new public awareness campaign designed to help pregnant women understand the developing science that strongly suggests a link between exposure to wireless radiation and behavioural problems in children, including symptoms of ADHD.

The project is based largely on the work of Dr. Hugh Taylor and his associates at Yale University, but also builds on an impressive history of independent science showing biological effects from exposure to wireless radiation, the kind of radiation that comes from cell phones, routers, smart meters and even wireless baby monitors.

The good news is that there are simple, common sense steps pregnant women can take to reduce their exposures to wireless radiation:

• Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body (e.g. don’t carry it in a pocket or bra).

• Avoid placing your cell phone, wireless laptop or tablet on your abdomen. Don’t talk or text while holding a phone against your body.

• Talk on speaker setting or with an “air tube” headset.

• Avoid using your cell phone in cars, trains and elevators.

• Avoid using cordless phones (which also expose you to wireless radiation), especially where you sleep. Corded phones do not emit RFR.

• Streaming videos and playing games results in higher levels of RFR exposure. Download and then view or play with the device in “airplane” mode. Download your email and then disconnect from WiFi, allowing you to read and respond without being exposed.

• Whenever possible, connect wired cables to a router or modem and turn off the Wi-Fi feature on the router, modem and your personal device(s).

• Unplug your home Wi-Fi router when not in use (e.g. at bedtime).

• Avoid prolonged or direct exposure to WiFi routers at home, school or work. If your job requires you to use a computer, position yourself so that you are not sitting close to the router and not between the router and your computer.

• If your home or apartment or close neighbour has a wireless utility meter (i.e. a “smart” meter), sleep in a room as far away from it as possible.

So if you’re pregnant, or are thinking about having a baby, we hope you’ll take a minute to visit the project website at www.BabySafeProject.org. There you’ll find videos, science articles and links to more information.

It’s something every pregnant woman should learn about… because every mama knows one thing for certain: better safe than sorry.