Scientists debate possible cell phone link to brain cancer

[JonLP24]

Source: CNN



(CNN) -- Bringing a growing health concern to Congress, scientists squared off Thursday over whether cell phones contribute to brain cancer.

Studies have indicated that long-term cell phone use may be associated with brain cancer, according to Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and Dr. David Carpenter, director of Institute for Health and the Environment at University of Albany. They both testified in front of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Policy.

"I cannot tell this committee that cell phones are definitely dangerous. But, I certainly cannot tell you that they are safe," Herberman said.

Herberman and Carpenter cited the results from a study recently presented by Dr. Lennart Hardell of Örebro University in Sweden.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/25/cellphones.cancer/

[nradisic]

1. Use bluetooth...

I am not sure if cell phones are safe or not, so I limit having one strapped to the side of my head by using bluetooth in the car and elsewhere.

[Wanet]

2. I hate to say it

But I think that wireless Bluetooth isn't considered safe either. The safest alternative is wired earbuds or a headset.

[Benhurst]

3. Yes, that is my understanding as well.

[blue sky at night]

I think (know) you are correct...

an EMF is an EMF, try googling it.

[livelongandprosper]

4. No. This is the safest alternative:

[Wanet]

5. Captain Kirk is a god!

We all know that Gene Roddenberry invented the flip cell phone. I wish they could make a cell phone with that "communicator" sound!

[Phred42]

9. Sorry the wire conducts too - that's not safe either

the only way is speaker

[StarryNite]

12. Air tube headsets

are said to be safe. They have an air tube similar to a stethoscope that the earpiece is connected to. Since there are no electrical components which conduct the sound to your head there is no RF exposure.

[Phred42]

18. There ya go!

[Sailing]

11. The difference is in power level

The cell phone transmit a nearly a full watt, to reach a tower. Whereas the bluetooth headset only transmits at about 2 mW, just enough to reach about 20 feet to the cell phone. I usually set my cell phone across the room and use the headset. Far less power driven into your skull.

Incidentally, most standard wireless home phones transmit at about 2 mW as well.

[Phred42]

19. you wanta bet your brain that the industrty is telling you the truth about power levels?

Like the Tobacco industry told the truth

not me

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. How on earth did you all manage before?

[bean fidhleir]

15. That's always my first thought, too. I reluctantly have a total of ONE phone

a 25yo wired one. I keep the ringer turned off.

[endthewar]

7. In other news, stop breathing. Turns out the air is polluted.

:eyes:

Trust me folks, this is a bunch of BS. However, I am amazed to see that this topic gets re-litigated about every 6 months or so like clockwork.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. This has been a concern for a while now...the cell phone companies have not been.

exactly forthcoming with the truth.
A couple of decades from now it will be an epidemic...and it is particularly dangerous for young people..and they seem to be the ones that use it constantly.

There have been several studies, some in Israel and in the Scandinavian Countries that have verified this.

This article even mentions the idea that Ted Kennedy's glioma may have been from using his cell phone.
That appears to be the type of tumor most commonly found at the site where the cell phone is held.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/03well.html?fta=y


http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/10/brief_cellphone.html

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/cell-phone-cancer-47060204


If I had to err, I would rather it be on the side of caution...

[EmeraldCityGrl]

10. My son's twenty-one year old college roommate is dying of brain cancer.

I wonder how many of these cases are happening to the very young, the ones that grew up with a cell phone
plastered to their ear. This is deeply disturbing.

[provis99]

13. Damn! And I thought it was the Black Helicopters' Brain Liquifier beams.

Can I take my tin foil hat off now?

[fascisthunter]

21. do you think there is no danger in using cell phones?

[AdHocSolver]

14. The danger is from the RF energy radiated off the antenna which is attached to, or inside, the case

The cell phone radiates a radio frequency wave in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwaves are used in microwave ovens to cook food. The microwaves penetrate the food agitating the molecules to produce heat. Essentially, food in a microwave is cooked from the inside out.

The antenna is a radio frequency wave concentrator used to couple the RF energy to the surrounding environment. When you hold the cell phone to your head, you are radiating the RF into your skull. The amount of penetration, and the potential for damage, is determined by the amount of energy that can penetrate your skin and skull.

Holding the antenna and cell phone away from your head and using an earphone is a useful way to protect yourself. The earphone will NOT conduct enough RF energy (if any) to put you at risk. Only having the cell phone or its antenna near your head or another part of your body is problematic.

I read that another risk of cell phone usage is to the eye. Even if the RF energy entering your skull doesn't fry your brain, it is theorized it could increase a person's risk of cataracts.

Moreover, microwave ovens can be more risky than cell phones. It is recommended that people stand six feet or more from a microwave oven when it is operating. If a microwave oven does not shut off (except for the light) when a microwave door is opened even slightly (an important safety feature), turn it off and have it repaired or replace it. Microwave ovens put out several hundred watts, and if those waves leak out, they can cook you internally. Similarly, inspect the door seals (which function like refrigerator door seals). If any gaps are visible, have the seals replaced, or replace the oven.

[sudopod]

23. Except that food in a microwave absorbs 1000 times the dosage

we get from a cell phone. :/

It's only 3 orders of magnitude, what do I know.

[Imagevision]

16. Those most affected? young children because their brains aren't fully developed yet

[OakCliffDem]

17. Kick

[customerserviceguy]

20. How about moderation?

Remember when we first got cellphones, for "emergencies"? I used mine to tell my lady not to pick up milk after work, I had already purchased it, then I was off the phone. When people are connected to them for hours a day, they're asking for health problems.

[sudopod]

22. NERD RAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!

This is fucking retarded. A watt of RF isn't going to cause shit.

I'll tell you what grinds my gears. It is when fools try to start panics and get shit banned on account of an ill-founded "concerns."
.

[AdHocSolver]

24. Long term exposure to even 1 watt of RF energy could cause internal damage. No one knows.

Getting your teeth x-rayed every once in a while won't cause any harm, but long term exposure to x-rays definitely causes biological changes.

Sinilarly, occasional use of a cell phone won't destroy your brain. However, a lot of people today use cell phones for many hours in a day, and a lot of extensive usage is by kids. Even one watt of microwave radiation held next to one's head could cause damage to the cells adjacent to the cell phone over time. No one knows because there have been no extensive studies done.

A microwave oven is designed to concentrate the RF energy in the food to be cooked. The oven itself acts as a shield to keep the energy from escaping and harming the operator. Any damage done to the microwave oven that allows some of the energy to escape could be harmful to anyone exposed.

I used to repair microwave ovens and the information I provided in this thread came from the manufacturer's service manual. I assume that the engineers who designed the equipment know more about microwave systems than you do.