A commenter identifying as an electrical engineer argues for keeping devices away from the body, reports …

I am submitting this comment in response to HHS’s Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. I am responding from the perspective of a concerned member of the public. I'm an Electrical Engineer that concentrated studies in the field of RF and Optical. It's very easy to see the potential dangers of radiated emissions when you look at a graph of absorbtion across frequency. It shows that water or matter that consists of water, like the human body, are very effective at absorbing radiation. That's why microwave ovens work so well. They don't work well on dry foods but work most effectively on wet or fat filled foods. The human body is high in water and fat. The brain is also very high in both. I've always cringed at the thought of holding a cell phone up to one's head. I've observed a large increase in health issues including cancers in people over the last two decades. It started out with pagers and two way radios that people would wear on their belt for convenience. I saw many friends die from cancer in the gut directly behind where they clipped their pagers and 2 way radios. As technology progressed the cell phones added cancers where people stored and operated their phones. I urge anyone I know not to use of store their phone in close proximity to their body. An example is light... Light is great but you don't put a light bulb up to your face. You get close to fire and it destroys your cells. Both examples are easy to understand. Now shift up the frequency spectrum a bit and just because you can't see the energy doesn't mean it isn't there. Cell phones need to communicate with cell towers that are up to two miles away. Imagine a light bulb or fire that is bright enough to shine two miles. Ok, would you ever consider putting that fire or light bulb right against your head or any part of your body? Clearly not so why would you allow that with a cell phone. Instead, imagine how quickly the heat drops down from the fire or light bulb when you pull back a bit. It doesn't take to much distance to reduce the energy to a manageable level. Arms length seems to do it. As a minimum use your speaker phone and significantly reduce the energy radiated into your critical body parts. Apply the same reasoning to your home router and other radiating devices. Keep your distance as much as possible. Yes it doesn't eliminate the issue but it certainly reduces the impact a LOT. When I explain this to people they don't need to be technical experts to understand... they typically get it and instantly change their habits. The realities of this should be communicated out to everyone and done sooner than later. I don't need a detailed study, it's common sense. Look at the composition of the cells in your human body and look at the radiated absorbtion spectrum graph and put two and two together. Everyone understands the idea of a microwave oven. I support HHS taking an active role in examining the potential health and environmental effects of wireless radiation and promoting communicating this out to the public. Questions about human health should be addressed by federal agencies with appropriate expertise in medicine, biology, epidemiology, and public health, and the experiences of individuals and families who report being affected should be considered alongside the scientific evidence. I urge HHS to carefully evaluate these experiences and the scientific evidence, identify gaps in current research, give particular attention to children and other potentially vulnerable populations, and establish appropriate federal research priorities regarding wireless radiation and public health. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.