Head of Belgium’s Largest Cell Phone Company Bans WiFi and Cell Phone Radiation from his Offices

Published on: February 19, 2013 | By Vidya Frazier, Editor

You’d think that people in the cell phone industry would believe the research out there (much of which they themselves have funded) that concludes that cell phones are completely safe to use.

Not so for Didier Bellens, head of Belgacom, the largest telecommunications company in Belgium. Not only does he insist upon using a land line for calls in his offices on the 27th floor of his company’s skyscraper; he also chooses to go without WiFi.

Refreshing Honesty about Cell Phone Radiation

And this isn’t a secret. In fact, Mr. Bellens is quite vocal about it. He has no qualms about educating people about the health effects of cell phone radiation and WiFi, especially when he’s with children and teens. At a recent talk he gave to schoolchildren, he stated:

 “During the day, it is better to use a headset because the GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications], it heats. The waves are dangerous. At night, it is better to shut it off. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, you should also turn it off…”

In an explanation of Bellens’ intriguing position on cell phone use, a spokesperson explained that Bellens is only indicating the precautionary principles recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2011, which classified radiation from devices like cell phones and WiFi as a “possible human carcinogen” (Class2B).

Newest Report on Research

Perhaps Bellens is relying on more than the WHO report in his decisions about the danger of WiFi and cell phone radiation. There has been a whole lot more research done by industry-independent teams since that report came out. See a comprehensive report detailing this research to date.  

An earlier version of the report was published in 2007; its conclusions were hair-raising enough. But this up-dated report, authored by 29 international scientists from 10 different countries world-wide, includes over 1800 new studies done on health effects caused by man-made electromagnetic fields—and it is downright scary.

In an Ideal World

What if more presidents of telecommunications companies were to follow Bellens’ lead in simply being honest about the dangers of cell phone radiation? The millions of people blithely using their cell phones on a daily basis might take pause in what they’re doing and pay attention to the independent research that’s been done on the dangers. They might think twice about what they’re subjecting themselves to.