In Tuesday’s post, I talked about Disconnect, a book that will make anyone with a cell phone or other wireless device re-consider how they use it.
Yesterday, I introduced you to the Pong case, a revolutionary product that can help protect you and your family from cell and other wireless radiation.
Because I think this subject is so important, today we invited Shannon Kennedy, president & CEO, Pong Research Corporation, maker of the Pong case, to answer some of our questions about Pong Research and its products.
1. How and why did you start down this road, lessening the radiation emitting from phones and other electronics?
The health concern of cell phone radiation has been around for more than a decade but there has not been a practical, convenient and reliable solution available to concerned consumers who choose to take precautionary measures to limit their exposure to cell phone radiation.
Suggestions such as texting, using “hands-free” devices and limiting the length of cell phone calls are not always convenient, practical, or even possible. For years there have been products in the market that claim to reduce radiation exposure by shielding, blocking, absorbing or even “neutralizing” cell phone radiation. Many of these products do nothing at all, and therefore have no impact on radiation exposure.
Products that claim to reduce or “shield” radiation can actually increase the user’s radiation exposure in a domino effect: they block the device’s signal, which makes the device work harder by transmitting more power to communicate with the cell tower, which in turn, increases the radiation exposure to the users. As a result, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued warnings against the use of those products.
The development of Pong’s technology originated with Dr. Alfred Wong, an emeritus professor of physics at UCLA a decade ago. An international team of scientists with unique expertise in the fields of plasma physics, nuclear and radiation science, electrical engineering, antenna design, cell biology and health sciences worked together in an effort to solve the problem of cell phone radiation exposure with practical solutions for consumers.
The goal was to reduce cell phone user’s radiation exposure without compromising the phone’s signal strength and overall performance. After numerous trials and extensive laboratory testing, they gained an understanding of how to redirect and redistribute cell phone radiation through electromagnetic interaction using passive antennas—the very technology now embedded in every Pong case. Unlike “shield” products that reduce radiation, Pong’s internationally-patented technology redirects and redistributes the cell phone radiation that would otherwise be absorbed by the user’s head and body and uses it to optimize the phone’s ability to communicate with the tower.
Pong products are independently tested in FCC-certified laboratories and proven to both reduce the amount of radiation absorbed into the user’s head and body while also optimizing the device’s signal strength. Pong cases have been demonstrated to reduce radiation exposure by up to 95% below FCC limit (1.6 W/kg), as measured on the world-standard Specific Absorption Rate or “SAR” scale. Originally developed for cell phones, Pong technology is effective for all mobile devices and electronics that emit electromagnetic radiation for signal transmission.
Although the debate about health risk associated with cell phone radiation exposure will go on for years, we believe that consumers should be informed about the issue so they can make an educated decision for themselves. We recommend consumers take precautionary measures to limit unnecessary exposure to potentially harmful wireless radiation. Pong is proud to offer the world’s first and only technology that is scientifically proven to dramatically reduce mobile device radiation exposure to users while protecting a device’s performance. With Pong cases, consumers now have a practical, convenient and reliable solution to limit radiation exposure without changing their lifestyles.
2. With the PONG, radiation looks to disperse in front of the phone, away from the user. What happens to it then? So for instance, should you stay away from your children when you’re using it, even with the PONG in place? And if so, how far away? What about when you’re at Starbucks and everyone is using their computers and phones? Assuming no one has a PONG, are we exposed to more radiation than we would be if we walked outside in the sun?
The intensity of radiation diminishes rapidly with the distance away from the source (it follows the inverse-square law in Physics—inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source).
It is also true for cell phone radiation—the further away you are from the cell phone antenna, the less radiation you are exposed to. So, distance is a key factor in determining radiation exposure. For example, five inches of distance away from cell phone antenna will decrease the cell phone radiation intensity by a factor of 40 compared to 2 cm of distance (a typical distance between cell phone antenna and the user’s head when the phone is held against the head).
So, as long as children or other people stay a few inches away from your mobile device when in use, the radiation intensity they are exposed to is negligible and won’t pose any known health risk to them. As an example, if you are at Starbucks and there are 10 people talking on their cell phones simultaneously, and you are at an average distance of one meter away from them, you are getting 250 times less radiation than you would if you are calling with the cell phone next to your head (assuming 2 cm away from the antenna).
Both cell phone radiation and the radiation from sun are electromagnetic waves. However, they have different energies and therefore different effects on human beings. It is difficult to compare them. We do know, however, that in 2011 the World Health Organization, based upon a recommendation from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, classified cell phone radiation as a possible carcinogen to humans based upon the current body of research.
3. What is the future when it comes to this technology? To an outsider, it appears it should be integrated into any electronic that emits radiation (and I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, that we’re talking about everything wireless including cordless phones). Is this the direction in which you are moving (assuming you’re willing to say), or should we all “shield” every one of our electronics to be safe?
For any wireless device that relies on electromagnetic radiation for communication and function, you should not try to shield the radiation because it will impair the performance and function of the device and can result in a higher radiation exposure to the user. That’s why Pong redirects and redistributes the radiation instead of reducing the radiation.
Wireless radiation is a very useful tool for our modern life and we should not be afraid of it. We just need to be informed and use wireless technology in the right way, as Pong cases do. They reduce the user’s radiation exposure while optimizing the signal strength and overall performance of the device.
Pong has now extended its technology into 3G iPad tablets and is in development with similar devices on the market. Any cellular or Wi-Fi device that functions within close proximity to humans is a candidate for Pong’s technology.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
