SAR is the specific absorption rate of your cell phone, telling you how much radiation your tissues will absorb while using the cell phone. Although you don't need to be overly concerned about cell phone radiation, many are. For those looking to minimize their exposure but still want a cell phone, the older the phone, the better; so start by shopping used cell phones.

Cell phones give off radiation whenever they are performing a task, that means the more apps you use, the harder your cell phone is going to work to connect to the network and send and receive data. And nothing uses more apps than new cell phones. The more the phone can do, the more your service provider is likely to pre-load it with apps. Apps that report your location, you cell phone use habits, and other information the companies think they might profit from.

On the other hand, most older cell phones hardly give off radiation compared to the do-everything phones of today. Pick a used cell phone that's new enough to not strain when connecting to the network, then enjoy having minimal radiation.

Besides buying low SAR-emission phone like used cell phones, the Better Business Bureau recommends using a hands free device, so that the cell phone is held away from your body when in use. (You should have one anyway, in case you need to use your cell phone while driving!) An extention of this tip is to keep your used cell phone in your purse/briefcase when not in use. Although radiation is probably not dangerous, the heat the phone emits can be.

Finally, wait for a good signal to use your phone. The worse the signal, the more radiation it will put off.

And remember, there's no such thing as a radiation shield for your phone, unless of course you don't want it to be able to connect to the network!