(BLACK PR WIRE) – Today’s cell phones have come a long way since their debut. Those of the old-school generation remember when cell phones were as large as their landline counterparts. Now they fit easily in a child’s hand. Once expensive, many businesses give them away as incentives for patronage. They’ve gone from being strictly for talking, to being a camera, video recorder and personal computer all in one. Once the province of business executives, they now are common among schoolchildren. Many Americans forgo a landline phone altogether in favor of using a cell phone only.

African Americans are not lagging behind in utilizing this technology. According to research findings by Essence magazine, African American women exceed other groups of women in cell phone use. They are more likely to use their cell phones for three or more hours a day, more likely to use their cell phones’ web browsers for making purchases, and tend to spend more money on their cell phones.

Cell phones are embedded in the 21st century lifestyle, and this has raised concerns among some researchers in the medical and scientific communities. The debate centers on the possibility that prolonged use incurs the risk of brain cancer, due to the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of radiation emissions. In simple terms, cell phones emit radio waves. Current studies on the effects of these radio waves are inconclusive.

If you are in the heavy user category and want to be on the safe side, there are precautions you can take to reduce SAR exposure. One method is to use an earpiece. Another is to communicate by text messaging instead of talking when possible. If you are shopping around for a new phone, ask the merchant about phones with a low SAR value. Also ask if they sell protective phone shields that reduce SAR value. Most importantly, stay educated on medical findings about the issue. That is one message you can’t afford to drop.