title: Adolescent in-school cellphone habits: a census of rules, survey of their effectiveness, and fertility implications.
abstract: We explored school cellphone rules and adolescent exposure to cellphone microwave emissions during school with a census and survey, respectively. The data were used to assess health and policy implications through a review of papers assessing reproductive bio-effects after exposure to cellphone emissions, this being most relevant to students' exposure. All schools banned private use of cellphones in class. However, 43% of student participants admitted breaking this rule. A high-exposure group of risk-takers was identified for whom prohibited in-school use was positively associated with high texting rates, carrying the phone switched-on >10h/day, and in-pocket use. The fertility literature is inconclusive, but increasingly points towards significant time- and dose-dependent deleterious effects from cellphone exposure on sperm. Genotoxic effects have been demonstrated from 'non-thermal' exposures, but not consistently. There is sufficient evidence and expert opinion to warrant an enforced school policy removing cellphones from students during the day.
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand. mary.redmayne@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Redmayne
authors.forename: Euan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Abramson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves; D009520:New Zealand; D016134:Organizational Policy; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*