Cell Phones Bad For Your Health — Again
April 01, 2008 | by Christopher Nickson
We've heard the pros and cons before, but a new Australian study claims cell phones could be worse for your health than smoking or asbestos.
Post Your Comment...Comments
Heather on Apr 1st, 2008 at 7:35 AM:
I do notice society as a whole appears to have completely raving off-the-cliffside berserk at about the time cell phone use became widespread, and one need only look at the aggressive, irrational behavior of people who use the phones constantly to substantiate the doctor's claims. I believe regular cell phone use may even cause insanity. It definitely lowers rational thinking and boosts narcissism.
Look at your teenagers and look at Hollywood.
Rob on Apr 1st, 2008 at 7:47 AM:
No, not worthless, but also not conclusive. A data point. I expect more data points will follow.
blackhat on Apr 1st, 2008 at 7:57 AM:
Cigarette. Trans Fatty Acids. Asbestos. Cell phones. Alcohol. Blah, blah, blah. Face it, folks. We're all going to die of something. If you spend all of your time on earth trying to avoid everything some doctor has said may kill you, you will have spent roughly 85 years with no life.
Even more important, if you take every one of these stories you read to heart, you will spend that life worrying about nothing and die of a heart attack or stroke becaure of high blood pressure. Ignore this BS and get out and LIVE!
Stan Fisher on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:08 AM:
I believe that these doctors should be looking at the number of X-Rays that people get at the dentist office over a period of years. The dentist cover your chest with a lead blanket, but your head is exposed.
The X-Rays are taken in the same area of the face, as cell phones.
BigFunkyChief on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:16 AM:
To Stan, some people talk on their cell phone for hours a day. X-Rays once or twice a year.
Blackhat, nice try, but you miss the point. The Western world is famous for pushing out technology and science that goes against the laws of nature and ultimately throws the body out of balance.
Tobacco could be ok, but the companies add so many chemicals to the cigarettes it becomes a death stick. Trans fatty acids? Again, scientists messing with fat molecules so they can pump more fat into less space, so you think it tastes better. Asbestos, you can't be serious. I know someone who died of lung cancer from asbestos exposure, it really does suck.
The point is not to avoid everything and not live, on the contrary, WAKE UP and start to understand how the human body works, and what it needs to be happy and healthy.
Pam on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:17 AM:
I don't own a cell phone nor do I intend to get one. I do not want to be connected to people 24/7. My landline and I get along just fine. I have actually been in a meditation class in a church in which the music director's cell went off during the service. I am always nervous when I drive behind someone who is talking on a cell and not paying attention to the road. I'm sorry. Multi-tasking and driving don't mix. The only redeeming feature of them is that they are good to have if your car breaks down or you encounter some other emergency. I would not cry if they took them off the market but that will never happen.....look at cigarettes....look at aspertame...look at all the things that can harm us.
Dot Khan on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:18 AM:
I had an emergency cell phone for about 2 years when I got the exact
type of tumor usually linked to cell phones over the years.
And the Acoustic Neuroma was on the other ear than
the side I use my phone on.
These tumors can take 20 years to grow. Cell phones haven't been out
long enough to have accurate data yet.
And current digital technology is only been in use for about 10 years.
Some of the early studies were done with the older analog phone systems
that are no longer used.
Everyone uses a cell phone today.
Unless the link is of people working in jobs that use cell phones more
than the general public, you can also make the claim that there is a
link to milk and brain tumors.
Buried in the report (Section) 6 Methods: was that the
REASEARCH WAS DONE THROUGH WEB SEARCHESs, which would show a bias
towards the sites selling those cell phone radiaton shields.
There are other things such as loud noises that studies show
a closer connection to higher rates of brain tumors than
cell phones.
I worked for over 20 years in a music hall before I had to leave from
my tumor.
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top had a small Acoustic Neuroma removed last year.
And the lead singers for The Knack and Foreigner both had brain tumors.
DynamicLynk on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:20 AM:
Use a Land line =P
Stan on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:33 AM:
BigFunkyChief,
If you knew how X-Rays get the image, you would see that it is accumulative.
Gern on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:47 AM:
Cell phone use causes tumors? Wonderful!!!
Catherine on Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:54 AM:
There is a big difference between X-rays and the radiation used for cell phone communication. Cell phone frequencies have little energy and the radiation does not penetrate into flesh like x-rays do. If there are any cancers at all they would likely be on the skin and nobody is claiming that. I would not panic about this. It's just sensationalism, trying to get attention.
Stan on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:00 AM:
Catherine,
I could not have said it better myself.
Bruce on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:01 AM:
Where's the news? Some MD has an opinion? I expected some new science. Studies of low dose electromagnetic radiation exposure naturally take some time to complete, so I thought a new study had produced some interesting new data, but there was apparently no new data.
I've seen many flawed medical and health related studies. Most of the "studies" or "research" involve drawing conclusions from data by looking for correlation with no proof of causality and no control group. Apparently the people getting these medical grants wouldn't know the scientific method if it bit them on the bum, but now there's no need to do even bad science to get your name in the news?
It seems likely that beaming microwaves into your head can't be good for you, but so far the research is lame at best. I guess we'll know in another ten years, after we've done the research on a few billion people.
I love technology, but we need to be a lot more careful with it than this.
If you're worried:
Try to limit your cell phone use. Good luck with that.
Try to get one of the few remaining cell phones with external antennas that extend up from the handset. Power decreases with the square of the distance, and having your brain twice as far away reduces exposure by 75%.
When using a cell phone with an internal antenna, hold it by the bottom of the handset. Cupping your hand over the top of the handset blocks the internal antenna, which attenuates the signal. The transmitting power is dynamically allocated. If the cell phone needs to increase the power to reach the cell tower, your brain will be exposed to more radiation... and your cell phone battery won't last as long.
OmegaWolf747 on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:06 AM:
Amen to blackhat! These things aren't worth worrying about. Let's just enjoy life!
JMix on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:12 AM:
Blackhat, Bigfunk,
Good points. You can't waste your life worrying about these studies infinitum. Read the study, not a news review & see what the author's are saying. We live in the age of information. If studies are being done that scientifically state "too much cellular use or having a cordeless phone cradle by the head of your bed may just give you cancer" than perhaps a corded headset (not bluetooth) would be a wise investment if you spend more than 2 hrs a day on a cell phone.
Move your cordless home phone cradle away from the head of your bed.
Eat lots of fruit, especially blueberries.
Take a multivitamin. + Vitamin C
Love the life you live.
Of course we'll all die of something. The question is when. We as a species are living longer because technology affords us the information to make choices to help our body do so.
Eric on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:42 AM:
Someone should check-Does this doctor own stock in an amazing discovery that will stop people from getting cancer while using cell phones?
Michael on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:45 AM:
These days the use of Bluetooth headsets is becoming so prevalent that most people who are heavy phone talkers don't even hold a cell phone up to their brains any more... so this kind of research, true or not, may be well on the way to being a moot point.
jo on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:47 AM:
There is my issue. I recently bought an Iphone and Migraines I have not had in over 15 years are back. My head hurts on one side where I have my bluetooth headset..
Is there a link here or just nothing??
Jon on Apr 1st, 2008 at 9:59 AM:
As usual, another MD gets his name in the paper but says absolutely nothing about why cell phone radiation is supposedly different from the millions of other sources of microwave radiation that smack us every day.
Yawn. Call me when someone uses UV-or-smaller EM for communication (iPhone? Psh, gammaPhone!) I'm more afraid of the Northern Lights, the infrared TV remote control beam, and the incandescent light bulb.
Would we be terrified by remotes, too, if I called them "SCARY 10^12Hz Electromagnetic Radiation" instead of "invisible light"?
Shawn Ryan on Apr 1st, 2008 at 10:22 AM:
One thing is certain, cell phones cause poor driving habits!
pj on Apr 1st, 2008 at 10:36 AM:
most people use blue tooth today
also there is a huge difference between things that are tumor inducers and tumor promoters meaning that these people had to have been exposed to something that actually causes genetic damage prior to exposure to cell phones.
for those that are worried just use you handsfree device so you don't have to put your cell phone to your ear
Ron Myers on Apr 1st, 2008 at 10:51 AM:
Heather, how old are you? Insanity was rampant long before the advent of cell phones...and as for Hollywood and teenagers, what, are you new?
SatMan on Apr 1st, 2008 at 11:25 AM:
I am in the Navy and work on marine electronics (Sat COMs, radar, etc.) The frequency of a cell phone is 800MHZ - 2.0 GHZ. A microwave oven in a typical house is 1GHZ - 40GHZ, the same as some cell phones. So, some cell phones use the exact same frequency as one would use to cook food. Although the power output is not the same, you still have that cell phone stuck right on your head....and the frequency is know to penetrate deep into tissue, like meat, to ensure a thorough cooking...
Bernie on Apr 1st, 2008 at 11:49 AM:
What is missing from this article are the data used to generate this claim. So, unless we track down the original article ourselves, this sort of thing is hard to objectively evaluate. I would have thought this was part of a reporter's job, but oh well. Something else to think about, for all of you worried about this sort of thing. Older generation cell phones utilized different frequencies (recall the recent phase out of analog cell service), and some of these same frequencies are being used in cordless phones. Because many of the supposed effects are thought to be related to the frequency of the EM signals used in these devices, and study that seeks to look at long term effects needs to sort out the complication that the phones themselves are changing. I would also be highly suspicious of any conclusions based on reports in the press, much less in the number of lawsuits filed on a subject. One of the writers above makes a good point; if the EM fields generated by cell phones were really a big deal, then there should be lots of more vulnerable populations out there (anyone working with radar, scientists who use EM techniques in their research, and the folks who install all the cell phone antennae) who should have higher rates of these health issues.
All Mankind on Apr 1st, 2008 at 4:11 PM:
Mariah Carey is the worst possible killer of the brain than any thing on this planet!!!!! Please put a stop to her insane blatherings. She is a stupid cow that should be fed to the starving wildlife in Africa. PLEASE!!!!!
Rick Cain on Apr 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 AM:
This is just comon sense really. Your cellphone will interfere with speakers from up to 5 feet away, so obviously it is putting out a HUGE amount of RF for such a tiny device. Put that next to your head daily and you are asking for trouble. Police officers had the habit of putting their radar guns between their legs or by their hip and many were later struck down with testicle cancers and bone cancers.
Always use a remote earpiece with a cellphone!
jorge on Apr 2nd, 2008 at 8:51 AM:
brain tumors seems to be more and more prevalent on normal healthy people......within the last 2 years, i know at least 6 people with this condition.......2 have already passed.
food for thought!!
jorge on Apr 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 AM:
correction.....three have passed.
John Hess on Apr 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 AM:
Sir,
It comes as no surprise that cell phones have the capability to cause brain tumors. When I had a cell phone that I could not afford I could feel my head getting warm from the 2.4 gigahertz microwave radiation penetrating deep into the grey matter of my brain. I have since given up the cell phone, and when this girl than I really like tells me that she talks and drives and told me I should have myself a cell phone I nearly had a heart attack. Microwave ovens and radar operate on the same frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum. I'm not getting a cell phone anytime soon, and I don't have one. It is worth noting that there are warnings about getting too close to the transceivers for cell phones, so cell phones should come with a warning. The companies are ripe for lawsuits at the moment.
JP Klein on Apr 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 AM:
We know that radio transmissions affect cells at the molecular level (that's why your microwave oven works). Though low powered, cell phones are high frequency and used over a long period. Because of the long latency period studies are not going to make the correlation till it's too late. As a lawyer experienced in defending companies in mass tort law suits - asbestos, lead, pesticides, I feel the risk is just too obvious to ignore. I use a non-bluetooth earpiece when I use my cell.
runner on Apr 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 PM:
I agree that cell phones could be hazardous. I know that researchers are always coming up with the latest "threat to your health" and some are bogus, but I don't dismiss this about cell phones. Only because my experience with using a cell has led me to believe there probably is truth to it.
Every time I use my cell phone and hold it against my ear, my head starts to tingle and ache on that side if I use it for a prolonged period of time. It's the weirdest feeling and I know it's from my cell. I've talked for long period of time on a regular landline phone and had no problem or side affects, so it was obvious to me what was going on.=P SO, I use earbuds now.
L on Apr 3rd, 2008 at 5:49 PM:
Yes, I do believe that cellphones cause brain tumors. My husband has one that is located on his right temporal lobe, which is where he held his phone. It is concluded in several other countries that cell usage over 10 years can cause brain cancers. I see SEVERAL patients walk in and out of the doctors office with the same tumor locations. Also, his doctors have all said cut out cell use or at least use a wire when using a cell until more studies are concluded! Also, have been told this from several engineers. Black berries are BAD and so are bluetooths!
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t on Apr 1st, 2008 at 7:04 AM:
Not a peer reviewed paper. Worthless.