San Francisco would become the first city in the country to require that cell phone retailers label the devices with the level of radiation they emit under a controversial proposal being discussed at the Department of the Environment and endorsed by Mayor Gavin Newsom.
There is no scientific consensus that cell phones pose health hazards, and the Federal Communications Commission is adamant that any cell phone legally sold in the United States is safe for consumer use.
But Newsom - who said he'll keep on using his beloved iPhone - said customers have the right to the information.
"The information exists, but not at the point of sale," he said. "If we prevail, and I believe we will prevail, other cities will follow suit."
The FCC, working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has adopted limits for safe exposure to radiation, which are calculated in terms of a unit called the Specific Absorption Rate that signifies the amount of radio frequency energy a person absorbs into his or her body and brain when talking on a cell phone.
The FCC requires that cell phone manufacturers ensure their phones are at or below a SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram of body tissue to be legally sold in this country. Some phones emit as little as 0.2 watts per kilogram.
Newsom supports legislation to require that cell phone retailers display the SAR level next to each phone in a font at least as large as the price. Retailers would also have to provide information about what SAR values mean.
All types of stores selling phones would be affected. The Department of Public Health would monitor stores' compliance and could levy fines.
The city's environment commission is debating the legislation, though it would need approval at the Board of Supervisors to become law.
Other ideas being discussed at the commission are encouraging the school district to ban cell phone use in elementary schools because children are more susceptible to radiation and requiring that all cell phones be sold with a headset so radiation is farther away from the brain.
The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, a trade group representing cell phone companies, hotly disputes the notion that cell phone radiation poses health concerns.
It points to the American Cancer Society's findings that cell phones are "unlikely" to cause cancer and to the World Health Organization's determination that cell phones aren't a public health risk.
John Walls, vice president of public affairs for the trade group, released a statement reading in part, "CTIA and the wireless industry have always been guided by science, and the views of impartial health organizations. The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk."
The organization didn't specify whether it would fight San Francisco's legislation, but Newsom said he expects it.
The Environmental Working Group, a national nonprofit research and advocacy organization, recently conducted its own study on radiation in cell phones and maintains that consumers should have access to the information.
Renee Sharp, director of the organization's California office, said only recently have scientific studies examined radiation effects of people using cell phones for more than 10 years.
"There have been several very large studies which have been done in other countries which have found increased rates of brain tumors and salivary gland tumors especially on the side of the brain or side of the face where the user preferentially uses their cell phones," she said.
She said the FCC's regulations are inadequate, especially for children. She said other countries are taking far more progressive steps, including recommending which phones are safest for children.
Sharp, who has been advising San Francisco officials on their legislation, said more public information can only be positive.
The Environmental Working Group recently published information on cell phones and radiation levels, including which devices are the safest. Find the information at www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation.