This bit of info might take some of you aback, especially if you’re reading this on a BlackBerry Bold 9700. According to a recent report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the Bold 9700 tops the legal level of radiation exposure when compared to 9 other popular smartphones.

New cell phones in 2010 are loaded with new features. For some models, like Motorola’s Droid, Blackberry Bold 9700, LG Chocolate Touch and HTC Nexus One by Google, consumers pay a hidden price: exposure to the highest legal levels of cell phone radiation. You can see for yourself by looking the radiation levels for new 2010 cell phones.

Other new phones emit significantly less radiation.

Which is which? You won’t find out from those pricey ad campaigns or even the labels. Makers and vendors aren’t required to disclose their products’ radiation output at point of sale.

That’s quite a scary notion. What this quote doesn’t show or tell you is the level of radiation for these devices which can be found here or just take a look at the image above. I’ve included the top 5 smartphones according to the “Tech Expert Rank” but if you look at the entire list you’ll see that the Bold 9700 is on top in terms of radiation exposure.

I’m rarely actually holding my phone to my head since I always use a Bluetooth headset or my BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone while in the car or at home. I’m always using my hands whether it’s on my computer, doing a bit of gaming, flipping through a book for school or just on my BlackBerry, so I’m not too worried about this.  If you’re someone who’s worried about radiation exposure then I highly recommend browsing through our Bluetooth accessories in the store.

Something I did find a bit funny, according to the EWG, the BlackBerry Storm 9530 is one of the top 10 phones to own in terms of radiation safety. It’s a shame Verizon is getting rid of it soon.

via EWG