Cell-Phone Radiation: Today's Outrage

More disconcerting is the fact that the company documentation that comes with many phones specifically tells users to avoid extended direct contact with the devices or else risk exceeding the FCC's required SAR limit.

To wit, this sentence from page 8 of the Apple(AAPL)iPhone guide: "For body-worn operation, iPhone's SAR measurement may exceed the FCC exposure guidelines if positioned less than 15 millimeters (0.63 inch) from the body." The manual also recommends people talk "with the 30-pin connector pointed down toward your shoulder to increase separation from the antenna."

Granted, San Francisco can be overly sensitive and health-conscious. This is a city in which the mayor recently proclaimed that June 21 through Aug. 10 would be officially known as the "Soda-Free Summer". This is a city in which I once hurt a barista's feelings, to the point of making his lip tremble, simply by declining his offer of a free soy chai sample. And this gem from one woman to another: "I need you to hear me process my feelings about how I can't get him to process his feelings."

But as long as so many studies remain inconclusive, at best, keeping consumers informed about SAR levels seems reasonable. And it's reasonable to expect that radiation information be posted clearly at the point of sale, rather than buried in a user manual.

Thus, the CTIA's "I'm taking my ball and going home" attitude toward the tech-savvy city seems unfair. In spite of any effect the new law may have on sales of the Apple iPhone 4 (SAR level: 1.17), the Apple product showcase MacWorld Expo is still set for San Francisco -- at least for now.

-- Reported by Carmen Nobel in Boston. P/>

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