SEATTLE, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cell phone radiation safety advocate and FCC regulatory watchdog Cynthia Franklin announces launch of consumer information website.  Called "Lab Rat 4 SAR" - www.LabRat4sar.com, the site provides facts and commentary about the outdated federal policies and unfettered industry practices regarding cell phone radiation (SAR).

"Cell phone manufacturers are not informing consumers about a crucial radiation safety warning legally required by the FCC.  And the FCC, the federal regulatory agency overseeing the industry, is doing nothing about it," claims Franklin.  She became involved in this issue after discovering a radiation safety disclosure hidden in the fine print on her BlackBerry cell phone manufacturer's website that warned a user to never hold or carry the phone closer than 1" from her body.  This warning did not appear in the literature that accompanied her phone.

The FCC allows all cell phones to be tested for compliance with federal radiation guidelines positioned up to 1" away from the testing body in a holster, failing to account for the typical manner in which many consumers use and carry their phones: in a pocket.  To make a call with a phone in a pocket using an earpiece exposes the user to radiation levels that exceed the legal FCC federal safety limit.

In Michael Scherer's October 26, 2010 TIME article, "Cell Phone Safety: What the FCC Didn't Test", an unnamed FCC official admitted, "Clearly if it's tested in a holster, it's only guaranteed to be compliant if it's used with a holster."

Because of this "loophole" in the FCC radiation compliance testing procedure, all cell phone manufacturers are required to inform consumers to never carry or use the phone closer than the "separation distance" from the body.  However, it is the industry-wide practice to hide these crucial warnings in technical fine print in obscure locations within the user guide.  Franklin launched the website to inform consumers of this warning, as well as to expose the outdated and inadequate policies she has uncovered at the FCC related to regulatory oversight of cell phone radiation.

www.LabRat4sar.com

Cynthia Franklin vows to continue writing articles, emailing officials and lobbying legislators until obsolete FCC radiation testing procedures are modified AND until the industry complies with FCC federal requirements to inform consumers about radiation safety guidelines.  She can be contacted at:  LabRat4sar@gmail.com

Press Contact:  Cynthia Franklin - LabRat4sar@gmail.com  ph: 360-201-3959

SOURCE Cynthia Franklin