It’s one of the simplest switches to make and can do wonders for your health!
The more I learn about wireless devices, the less I want them in my home. This includes cordless phones. The standard DECT (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Technology) phone utilizes a technology that utilizes a digital signal that is both powerful and clear.
It’s what you’ll readily find on store shelves. Look for 2.4 or 5.8 GHz when trying to identify a DECT phone. Manufacturers include Panasonic, GE, Motorola, AT&T, and V-Tech.
If you have concerns about WI-FI, you will want to have equal concern for DECT as they both operate with frequencies in the microwave and radio spectrum. In 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) classified electromagnetic radiation as a possible 2B carcinogen. (The same category as lead, DDT, and styrene.)
Other wireless devices commonly found in the home include:
- Remote controls for opening gates
- Wireless security systems
- Wireless video cameras
- Wireless baby monitors
- Smart meters
DECT cordless phones continuously emit microwave radiation at full power as long as the base station is plugged into an electrical outlet. That means radiation is emitted 24 hours a day whether the phone is being used or sitting idle in its cradle.
The following video shows the contrast between a corded phone and an AT&T cordless DECT phone.
Interested in measuring the electromagnetic fields in your home or office? Consider the Cornet Electrosmog Meter used in the demonstration above. Find out more at Just So Natural Products.
The Health Effects of Cordless Phones
Dr. Magda Havas is one of the premier researchers on the adverse impact of DECT phones. In a petition calling on the Canadian government to ban DECT phones, Dr. Havas points to the growing evidence linking DECT phones with ill health. By superimposing her studies with others, Dr. Havas created the following graphic to show that, even from a distance of 3 meters, EEG brain waves are altered.
According to Dr. Havas,
“At 2.8 meters motor function, memory and attention of children are affected. At 1.7 meters, sleep is disturbed. How many people have DECT phones near their bed? At 30 cm memory is impaired and at closer distances the immune system is affected, REM sleep is reduced, insulin levels drop, and there are pathological changes in the blood brain barrier. Studies also show that there is 100% increase in adult leukemia between 45 and 130 cm from the phone and a similar increase in childhood leukemia between 35 and 260 cm.”
Thankfully, it’s easy to replace your DECT phone. Corded phones are readily available at electronics stores and online. If a portable home phone is your only option, consider the non-DECT 900 MHz analog phone that only emits radiation when in use.
Why not err on the side of caution and return to the old-fashioned corded phones. You may notice improvements in your sleep, concentration, and overall health!
*Note: AT&T has a policy named “2020” that states AT&T will phase out their landline telephones in 2020. If you’re interested in seeing this policy reversed sign the petition Keep Landline Telephones.
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Excellent article, Andrea. This is very important information you are sharing. Thank you so much!
Thank you Angela! As always 🙂
I was wondering if it would still be as low of a reading if there were an answering system in the white At&t phone? Does the answering message system have anything to do with the saftey of the phone?
If it’s a landline there may be higher magnetic fields with the answering machines but that’s minor compared with the hazards of a DECT phone.
Thanks for sharing this. So glad we got rid of ours years ago.
Sigh…I still use my baby moniters 🙁 I never really gave it much thought but this will be something to change I guess! We haven’t had a home ever but definitely use baby moniters….
Renee, you may be interested in this wired alternative.
http://www.emfanalysis.com/safe-baby-monitor/
There are also used analog baby monitors that are a safer option too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graco-Ultra-Clear-600ft-Range-Analog-Baby-Monitor-For-Household-Coverage-2L01VB-/261899353468?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cfa6afd7c
You are so right but I don’t like it. My cordless phone is so convenient. I kind of feel like I don’t want to deal with it. Sometimes all the conveniences of our modern world gang up on us and we are left with a mess. I have stopped the line at getting wireless in my house, although we do get some from the neighbors b/c we live in town.
One option, Jennifer is to keep the phone in a hallway rather than near a prime living area. You’re smart to avoid wireless in your home! We had to ground all of our computers and it wasn’t easy in a house full of teens.
Interesting article. We have cordless phones and I may have to look into this more…
Yeash! No wonder I feel so much better when I go up to Big Bear and stay in the family cabin. NO wireless anything. Thanks for sharing, I didn’t realize how much of an impact wireless phones could have on our health!
Bluetooth technology has been so convenient and now everything is either bluetooth or wi-fi. Now you can turn your car’s engine with your phone! I try to be hardwired in as much as I can but how do I convince my young kids and gadget obsessed hubby??? *sigh*
I bought some measuring devices and when I show them the difference in the meter readings they believe me. Turning off the WI Fi at 10pm every night has become habit…they really fought that initially. They also fought us when we started wiring their computers but they adjusted really well after the initial “shock.” (no pun intended) 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Karen!
Dear Andrea. i would like to know which measuring instrument you used to ascertain the radiation? i would also like to test in my home….
Kapil,
I am using the Coronet Electrosmog meter. It’s affordable and has a good reputation. It costs $139 at the Less EMF Safety Store. Here’s the link: It’s halfway down the page.
http://www.lessemf.com/combi.html
Thank you for this article on wireless radiation.
Some recent news to consider:
International scientists appeal to the United Nations, Within the past month a Reuter’s press release came out entitled, International Scientists Appeal to U.N. to Protect Humans and Wildlife from EMF and Wireless Technology, WHO’s conflicting stance on risk needs strengthening, says 190 scientists. The number of scientists is now 200.
http://www.emfscientist.org
Scientists petition UN for better radiation exposure standards, For the first time in history we are hearing reports of people in their 20s having strokes, or public schools having to install defibrillators as a safety precaution because children have been having heart arrhythmia. Yet they allow the root of the problem to persist: Dr. Carpenter adds that a classroom full of students using WiFi are “exposed to an enormous amount of radiofrequency radiation in that room. A wired classroom will give the exact same access to the Internet but without the exposure to radiation.”
I have a post coming on the EMF scientist petition. Exciting things are happening. Thanks for sharing, Diane!
Andrea, what would be a good alternative to a cordless phone? Is ANY corded phone ok, or are there still pitfalls to lookout for? Fro example, one with digital display as opposed to without?
Thanks!
Yes, a landline is optimal. The display doesn’t really matter. As for a safer cordless phone, this one is recommended by Lloyd at Electric Sense:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EFRMI36/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EFRMI36&linkCode=as2&tag=electricsense-20&linkId=QTQ4GPSAAA3YW3IG
I love the information you have on your site! I see that you mentioned remote controls above and I am looking at a CD player for my kids that is plugged in because I do not want to use all of the wireless devices. However, the CD player that I am interested in is only operated by a remote control. Does a simple remote control for a CD player present any concerns? I would love your thoughts as I am new to learning all of this information.
I’ve been trying to understand this as well, Tina. It’s far better to push buttons of course, but most remotes rely on Infrared radiation which is not like the radiation emitted from wireless devices. If they’re using the remote periodically with no WIFI in the home I’m not sure I would worry too much about it. But if I learn otherwise I will let you know. Great question.
Andrea, Thank you for your time in answering my question. I appreciate it so much! and yes, would love to know if you find out any other info otherwise.
Blessings,
Tina
Are wired phone safer than cordless/cell phones??
Yes, absolutely. Thanks for the question.
I recently bought a Uniden DECT 2145 + 1 corded phone which is paired with a cordless phone. Is there any harmful radiation emanating from the corded phone? Is it constantly transmitting signals to and from the cordless phone? Is the corded phone in this circumstance as harmful as the cordless? I had hoped the corded phone would be as safe as a corded phone which is not paired with a cordless, and to only use the cordless for emergencies. But my research so far suggests that this is not the case. I would appreciate an urgent reponse.
I would assume the connection between the two requires some non-ionizing radiation. The only way to know how much would be to test with a meter. But a simple corded phone would be ideal.
I am just learning about the dangers of cell phones and cordless landline phones. I’m about to order corded landline phones for our house and just read here that AT&T plans to phase out landlines in 2020.
So my question is — what will we use after 2020? I tried to sign the petition to AT&T and it was closed. Has it responded to the petition? My husband was just diagnosed with chronic leukemia (not aggressive, thank goodness), and I’m trying to to everything possible to protect him from anything carcinogenic. Thank you so much for this site.
You’re smart to be aware of this, Elizabeth. There is something called Voice Over Protocol that is better than using a cell phone.https://techterms.com/definition/voip
If you have corded computers this offers a way around use of a cell phone while at home.
I recently thought of buying dect phones but had to temporize when a user mentioned getting rid of his because of “the dangers” of dect. This raised my hairs on end as i became scared. Further researches led me here. I have been using cell phones but i came up with a less stressful solution: I got a double sim card base station, had the antenna placed in the attic (with almost zero human movement). Then I had corded phones and extensions all over the house wired to the base which is on a wall inside the home. I assume that whatever radiations produced will be limited to the attic antenna and beyond, sparing the occupants in the house exposure to EMFs. Am I correct with that assumption?
Here is what the GSM terminal base station looks like:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-GSM-850-900-1800-1900MHZ-Fixed-wireless-terminal-GSM-Dialer-2-SIMs-Dual-standby/32357495339.html
With your level of interest in this, I would suggest purchasing the Cornet combination meter so that you can see for yourself. There are a number of great meters on the market, but I love the Cornet. You’ll find it at LessEMF.com:
It’s the 10th one listed on the page:
https://www.lessemf.com/combi.html
Thank you for this info. I have a question about Bluetooth hearing aids. I can disable the feature on both hearing aid & cell phone but curious what the SAR rating will be with Bluetooth feature off. Since it is a device in your ear more than 12 hours per day versus a cell phone or cordless phone occasionally used, it’s concerning. Oticon Opn S said 1600 HZ is max frequency. Found online another mfg: Wireless Hearing aids Factsheet – PhonakPro
https://www.phonakpro.com/…/fact_sheet_venture_wireless_hearing_aids.pdf
The typical SAR rating emission of a mobile telephone ranges from 0.3 to 1.5 W/kg. Testing showed the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value of the wireless hearing aids to be less than 0.001 W/kg
In link below, article down played concerns comparing to cell phone but they never mention, the difference of hearing aid worn full time versus cell phone only held occasionally to ear:
Do Wireless Hearing Aids Present a Health Risk? – Hearing Review
http://www.hearingreview.com/2017/06/wireless-hearing-aids-present-health-risk/
Jun 6, 2017 – The facts about electromagnetic radiation and wireless hearing aid …. The typical SAR values for wireless hearing aids range between …
This is an excellent question. I don’t know. If I learn anything I will email you directly.
Does Wi-Fi and Wireless modem for PC use at home pose the same risk?
Also smart meters for water, gas and electricity installed by utility companies pose the same risks for all occupants?
Yes, this explains more:
https://it-takes-time.com/2015/06/18/from-wireless-to-wired-our-familys-journey/
I was unwittingly exposed to a DECT telephone for a solid 3 years before discovering it was radiating me 24/7. The phone was across my apartment and in my neighbour apartment. She had the DECT on her headboard which was opposite my own bed in my apartment. Because I am retired and have limited income I reside in my apartment nearly 24 hrs per day except for a few outings such as buying food. Because my neighbour refused to provide any details on the manufacturer and type of telephone, and even the installation date I am left guessing as to events. After an unknown period of exposure to the DECT I developed cataracts in both eyes. I am now blind in one eye and have diminished and blurry vision in my remaining eye. In addition I have developed 24/7 Tinnitus, irritated throat, totally disturbed sleep patterns, anxiety, tiredness, headaches, pain in my eye, etc.
So sorry to hear this, Tara. I appreciate you sharing your story.