The radiation produced by cell phones has been linked to everything from headaches, fatigue and dizziness to brain cancer, eye tumors and memory loss. Here are seven easy steps you can take – starting right now – to protect yourself and your family from this silent, potentially deadly danger.

• Warning: Radiation increases when the signal is weak. The further a phone is from its base, the weaker the signal . When handling a weak signal, the phone increases power to a maximum producing more radiation. If you struggle to get a signal or tend to drop calls in a certain area (common in elevators, buses, cars and other enclosed spaces), you could be irradiating you and those around you.

• Caution using an earpiece or bluetooth. There’s a big push, mainly by driving-safety advocates, to use earpieces with cell phones. Although these devices leave your hands-free, some may concentrate and channel radiation directly through the ear canal into your brain. When on a cell phone, use the speakerphone or a wired earpiece (hollow cord types are preferable). A Bluetooth wireless headset combined with the phone can exceed even the current inadequate safety limits.

• Warning: wearing your phone like a beeper If your phone is turned on and worn on your belt or in a pocket you could be receiving a constant blast of radiation from the battery pack which usually faces your body. Another blast occurs when you get a call. Because electromagnetic field exposure diminishes rapidly beyond three feet, those around you can also be impacted. It’s okay to carry it on you if the device is in “flight” or “off-line” mode. If you must carry it while fully on, keep the keypad positioned toward your body, so that the battery pack faces outward. A better place for your cell or BlackBerry is in your purse or briefcase. Another safety tip: Switch which side of the head you use your phone on from call to call so you spread out exposure.

• Minimize your talk time – and try to eliminate any calls over 20 minutes Scientists have no idea how long you can safely talk on a cell phone. And side effects such as headaches and dizziness have been observed after calls as short as two minutes.

• Do not let your children use cell phones. Because their skulls are thinner and smaller, children absorb much greater amounts of radiation than mobile-phone-using adults do. Plus, they’re at greater risk of developing serious side effects because their cumulative lifetime exposure will be greater.