California has taken one of the strongest steps to date to address what may become an increasingly important public health issue in the digital era: The possible link between cell phone radiation exposure and harmful health conditions like cancer and lower sperm count. Last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued guidance on how consumers can minimize their exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy beamed from smartphones and cellular devices, and advised that children especially lower their exposure.

So what’s the deal? Is cell phone radiation really going to increase your brain cancer risk, disturb your sleep patterns, lower sperm count, or give you headaches, as CDPH suggests? The issue is, as the agency itself admits, not definitively resolved—but CDPH argues that there’s enough preliminary evidence to warrant some simple protective measures, just in case, for those who want to.

“Although the science is still evolving, there are concerns among some public health professionals and members of the public regarding long-term, high use exposure to the energy emitted by cell phones,” said CDPH director Dr. Karen Smith in a statement. “We know that simple steps, such as not keeping your phone in your pocket and moving it away from your bed at night, can help reduce exposure for both children and adults.”

There has been previous U.S. government research suggesting a correlation between cell phone radiation and cancer—although some of those studies were performed on rats and came with their own sets of important caveats. The problem is that cell phones are, all told, fairly new innovations. And new phone technologies in an increasingly digital era have made them ubiquitous. In fact, on average, children are just ten years old when they get their first phones, and there’s just not a whole lot of data out there about how frequent use over the course of an entire lifetime can affect developing brains. (It could also be hard to set up a randomized control trial of cell phone use that lasts long enough to glean real knowledge without becoming a practical headache for study participants.)

CDPH’s guidance, given the lack of definitive evidence establishing a cause-and-effect between phones and harmful health conditions, is more tailored toward families who do want to reduce their radio frequency exposure as a potential preventive measure. For instance, the agency recommends sleeping away from a phone and keeping the devices out of your pockets for long periods of time. Making phone calls with a weak cell signal can also boost the amount of radiation emitted. California’s message appears to be: Cell responsibly.

Read on for the day’s news.

DIGITAL HEALTH

Siemens scoops up Fast Track Diagnostics. Siemens' Healthineers unit is building up with an acquisition of Fast Track Diagnostics, a Luxembourg-based firm that conducts molecular testing. Faster in-house diagnostics will be a critical part of Siemens' health care ambitions, including research on respiratory conditions, meningitis, and tropical diseases. (Reuters)

INDICATIONS

FDA to go after homeopathic drugs with safety risks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ramping up its efforts to crack down on homeopathic drugs that can present health safety risks. "In recent years, we’ve seen a large uptick in products labeled as homeopathic that are being marketed for a wide array of diseases and conditions, from the common cold to cancer. In many cases, people may be placing their trust and money in therapies that may bring little to no benefit in combating serious ailments, or worse—that may cause significant and even irreparable harm because the products are poorly manufactured, or contain active ingredients that aren’t adequately tested or disclosed to patients," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a statement. The move may prove controversial to some people who choose alternative medications—but, as Gottlieb points out, the FDA's job is to enforce regulations based on scientific evidence. (Washington Post)

THE BIG PICTURE

Teen drug use falls—with one big exception. American teens are drinking less and doing fewer drugs in general—except for when it comes to marijuana. Strikingly, the rise of vaping may be tied to the prevalence of marijuana use, since many of the surveyed teenagers said they used vaporizer devices to smoke marijuana. (Fortune)

The CVS-Aetna deal would shake up employer health care. A new survey finds that large and mid-size U.S. companies would shake up their employee health benefit decision-making in the wake of a successful buyout of insurer Aetna by CVS. "This is on their radar screen in a bigger way than I would have anticipated," Aon senior vice president for health JimWinkler told Reuters. "Typically employers tend to look at this type of news and think ‘it’s too big, and it’s too far off to matter to me yet.'" (Reuters)

REQUIRED READING

MIT Researchers Have Created Glowing Plants That Could Replace Light Bulbs, by Emily Price

Bitcoin May Soon Face Tougher Regulations in Europe, by Bloomberg

Atlanta's Airport Blackout Will Cause Nationwide Travel Woes for Days, by Billy Perrigo

ESPN President John Skipper Resigns Due to Substance Addiction, by Bloomberg