Courtesy Photo/Image Nick Rodrigues, a Boston artist, has created a Personal Cell Phone Booth.

Don’t phone home, E.T. It may be harmful to your health.

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Sales of cell phones are soaring, but the handy little devices should be used with precaution, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute said recently.

“An international expert panel of pathologists, oncologists and public health specialists recently declared that electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk,” Dr. Ronald Haberman wrote in a memo to colleagues.

Research has indicated a possible link between cell-phone use and brain cancers. Delay of data from a study by the World Health Organization has some countries acting on their own.

France, Germany, India and, most recently, Canada, have advised limiting exposure to cell phones, particularly in teens and younger children. Cell-phone radiation penetrates a child’s thinner skull and brain more deeply.

Haberman recommended the following “prudent and simple precautions”:

· Child safe: Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies.

· Do not keep it near you at night such as on a bedside table, particularly if you are pregnant. (Putting it on "flight" or "off-line" mode stops electromagnetic emissions.)

· Turn the right way: Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body, or try to keep it away from the body as much as possible. Use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth headset if possible, which has less electromagnetic emission. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also reduce exposures.

· If you must carry your cell phone on you, position the keypad toward your body and the back toward the outside so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from you.

· Switch sides regularly while talking on your cell phone to spread out your exposure.

· Second-hand radiation: Avoid using your cell phone in places like a bus, where you can passively expose others to your phone's electromagnetic fields.

· Speak briefly: Only use your cell phone for conversations lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a corded phone. (Cordless phones also use technology similar to that of cell phones.)

· When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call.

· Choose a device with the lowest SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) possible. The SAR measures the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body. SAR ratings are available on internet sites such as CNET.com.

Data is still indefinite, but most experts agree that the safety of frequent, long-term use of cell phones calls for further study.

Stay tuned – but not on your cell phone.