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The big problem is that scientists still haven't reached any definitive conclusions about cell-phone radiation (see box). Given that, consumers may grasp at whatever data are available when deciding what to buy. That will be true especially for purchases made for children, whose developing brains absorb more radiation than adult brains and who could be exposed to potential harm for decades to come. That prospect has led parents like Gilbert Yablon to just say no. "I don't let my [eight-year-old] daughter talk on the cell phone," says Yablon, who runs a movie-graphics company just outside Los Angeles. "I'll take the risk for myself, but I don't want her exposed to it."
Short of throwing away that cell phone or ignoring health issues altogether, how should concerned consumers use these icons of 21st century life? In England a blue-ribbon panel of experts last summer called for "a precautionary approach" that includes discouraging children from making nonessential calls and using headsets to keep radiation away from the brain. The bottom line? "Don't use a mobile phone more than you have to," says physicist Lawrence Challis, vice chairman of the British group. "If there is a choice, use a landline phone. If you do have to use a mobile phone, you should seriously look into a hands-free extension" to minimize the risk. As such advice spreads, manufacturers could find themselves marketing their phones on the basis of safety as much as on styling or battery life. --With reporting by Cathy Booth/Dallas, Helen Gibson/London and Eric Roston/New York