Cell Phone Cancer

In my personal, non-expert opinion, I'm 99.9% sure that it is about to be proven in the next 10 years or so that cell phones cause brain cancer, or at least significantly increase the risk of developing it. That many electromagnetic waves directed towards the brain...I don't know about you, but I smell cancer. I know the skull is thick and all, but...I'd be careful. Especially those that use the bluetooth accessory...just adding a compounding factor to the equation.

Now, you may be thinking, Aren't there government regulations? Don't products have to undergo numerous rounds of testing to ensue their safety before being released to the general public? And, in a sense, you're right...in a sense. If you know anything about the wonderful US, you also are aware of the history of corruption in amongst our nation's leaders. Would you really put in past greedy politicians and lobbyists to place on the market a product which is potentially damaging to citizens? Especially if its generating millions in revenue? I wouldn't...it has happened time and time again (cough cough: : Pharmaceuticals : : cough cough) The thing about cell phones, unlike many other products on the market, is that no other product before bore any resemblance to it. The closest thing we had were beepers, and let's face it, they are barely related. Unlike beepers, which do transmit signals to our bodies, we use our cell phones all the time, and right next to our brains. In many households, the standard telephone has been partially or completely replaced by cellular phones.

Here's a nice little summary. Cellular phones produce RF (radiofrequency energy...aka radio waves). RFs are a form of electromagnetic radiation. And while the amount of RFs produced by cell phones are supposedly too low to cause damage, the amount of cell phones users had risen exponentially in the past decade...meaning there are a lot more electromagnetic waves flying around all about us.

Pulling some facts straight from the National Cancer Institute's website:

A cellular telephone user’s level of exposure to RF energy depends on several factors, including: 
• the number and duration of calls
• the amount of cellular telephone traffic at a given time
• the distance from the nearest cellular base station 
• the quality of the cellular transmissions
• how far the antenna is extended
• the size of the handset
• whether or not a hands-free device is used

Hmm...has anyone reading this walked around Times Square at any time during the day? According to this description, Times Square is the epicenter of RF. The amount of people crammed in that however-many-block radius, all on cell phones...I don't know about you, but that sounds like a hotbed of RF to me.

While initial studies have indicated they are safe, longitudinal studies have yet to be carried out to fruition. It would truly take decades to properly conduct such a study, and we, as a nation and the entire world, were not ready to wait. Apparently most (but not all) studies show no correlation between cell phone usage and brain tumors. But, it is important to note that these do not take into account years of usage, and let's be real, cell phone usage has just recently become a craze (I'd say only within the past 10 years). My guess is that most of the people being studied, at most, were using cell phones for only 5 years. I know personally, I have been using a cell phone since 6th grade (yes, I was that one kid at school with the big ol' Zack Morris 10lb phone...lol). Where's the study to reassure me that 12 years of cell phone usage has not increased my risk of developing cancer? A: it doesn't exist.

Having studied a little bit of neuroscience, I am particularly concerned about possible cancer development among children. The human brain does not completely stop growing until the early 20s. As we all know, the highest age range of cell phone users are teenagers and young adults. Here is the equation as I see it: young, plastic brain + constant electromagnetic radiation (at low doses, of course) = developmental abnormalities ± brain cancer. (And I'm nearly 100% certain there are no studies on that)

Supposedly, using a hands-free model that distances the source of radiation (i.e. the cell phone) from the head if beneficial, as well as keeping conversations short. However, the newest fad has been the bluetooth. Uh...problem is that unlike the standard hands-free set (that connects the headset to the phone via a chord), bluetooth just adds in another step in the radiation process...yippie! Oh yeah, and apparently, it is safer to keep the cell phone further away from your body (i.e. not in a pocket or a phone clip). Now, for something that's supposedly non-harmful, there sure are many suggestions about how to be safer when using them...

...like the advisory sent out by a doctor to his entire staff to limit their cell phone usage. Actually, the doctor is Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, and he is the head of a prominent cancer research institute (the Univ. of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute). Oh, and yeah, I forgot to mention that our friendly neighbor to the north (Canada) has issued an official warning to adolescents...haha, way to blow the US's cover, Canada...I appreciate yall! You see, Canada and I are on the same page...we already know what the US already knows, but doesn't want to admit: all this cell phone usage is about to kill off people like the Bubonic Plague! (well, hopefully it won't be that serious...but, I wouldn't be surprised) So, when you see me walking around with the old-fashioned, uncool corded headset, you know why...plus, I swear, I can hear better that way ;)