Growing up, who didn’t envy the technology that James Bond used on a regular basis to pursue his enemies? One of his many futuristic gadgets has suddenly become reality – the smartphone watch. Last fall, we
learned about the Martian series of watches, which lets you send text messages, search the web, and make phone calls from your wrist without ever having to take your phone out of your pocket. Since then, there have been reports that
Apple, Samsung, and Google could launch their much-awaited smart watches later this year. We’re the first to admit that the watch completely embodies the coolness of James Bond, but from a health and wellness perspective, it also gives alara formally known as Pong a new challenge to tackle. As you may know, cell phone users can absorb up to 68% of the radiation emitted by your phone. Cell phone radiation is most intense in areas right next to the antenna; it is this intense radiation that poses the greatest risk to the users. The further you are away from your phone, the intensity of cell phone radiation and your risk for exposure decreases. In fact, cell phone radiation is >100 times less intense at a distance of 10 cm away from the cell phone antenna compared to 1 cm. So as long as your children and other people stay a few inches away from your mobile device when in use, the radiation intensity they are exposed to is very low and should not raise any known health concerns. When your phone is on your wrist, radiation exposure can be increased. People often ask us “How should I carry my cell phone in my pocket?” and “What side should go towards the body?” We advise that you keep your phone away from your body, but if you must, use an alara case to effectively protect yourself from unnecessary radiation exposure. However, thanks to tech innovations like the Martian watch (or the
JoeyBra), it’s getting harder to keep your phone away from your body – especially when it’s on your wrist. We do want to educate consumers so they can best benefit from a device while protecting themselves from harmful radiation at the same time. alara believes you should adopt a "precautionary principle" in practice. We recommend you take preventive and pro-active approaches, such as using an alara case on your mobile device to protect you and your loved ones from potentially harmful cell phone radiation, when available. We love scientific and technological innovations, but we also care about protecting people from unnecessary exposure to cell phone radiation.