So you have a cell
phone? But, you aren’t one of the people who blithely goes
cruising down the highway at 10-15 miles over the speed limit,
talking on your cell and blissfully unaware of the people
around you and what they might be doing? Does it matter that
you only use your cell phone “Safely”? Is there such a
thing as “Safe use of Cell Phones?”
When you read the following article by Molly Wood, copyright
Molly Wood and CNET (a Ziff-Davis Company), March 8, 2005, you
will come to understand some of the hidden dangers inherent in
our modern cell phone use.
And yes, this same problem is inherent in the “cordless”
phones we now use to have “walkabout” capabilities in our
homes while we chat on the phone. We can keep on preparing our
meals, working in the kitchen, working at odds ‘n ends
around the house and just carrying the cordless phone with us.
It broadcasts on RF frequencies in the VHF and UHF ranges
which are as harmful as the Microwave frequencies on the Cell
Phone.
The danger lies in “being that physically close to” the
radiating source….i.e., right up against our ears.
At any rate, for an enlightening look at this potentially very
serious health problem, make sure that you follow all the
links and read the source material that went to validate the
article. Molly has done her homework on this one and this
article alone validates her being the Senior Editor at
Ziff-Davis’ CNET. Molly is the editor of the feature
recurring article “Anchordesk”.
Read her article, follow the links and read the supporting
information, and then make up your own mind as to the safety
or danger of Cell Phones. For my part, my mind is already made
up….they’re inherently extremely dangerous. While you are
checking the sources out make certain you also check the very
last reference given – the cell-phone radiation chart – it
will be eye-opening.
The cell phone industry: Big Tobacco 2.0?
By Molly Wood, senior editor, CNET.com
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
”So, there's this
incredibly popular product that has widespread consumer
use and a massive marketing presence. Nearly everyone uses it,
and it has very high social acceptance, even though some
people find it annoying
when it's used in public. It's highly habit-forming;
people who use the product on a regular basis find it almost
impossible to live without.”
Unfortunately, studies start to appear showing that the
product might be
harmful to its users--even cancer-causing. The product's
manufacturers deny the presence of any danger and even spend
millions of dollars trying to discredit the research that
points to problems. Then, an insider emerges, seemingly
with proof that the product could be dangerous. The
industry agrees to publish
warning data about the product, but continues to maintain
that the product itself is safe for use. Lawsuits against the
product's manufacturers are filed, but all
are dismissed. Industry analysts know that any case that
does succeed could start a domino effect of future lawsuits,
which keeps the industry determined to maintain that the
product is harmless, despite increasing
evidence to the contrary.”
Sound familiar?”
Well, put down your lighter, I'm talking about cell phones.
I've already maintained that I don't like the cell phone
industry's iron-clad control over phone releases and pricing,
its ever-lengthening contracts, and the annoying habit it has
of crippling Bluetooth phones so that I can't use them the way
I want to. But it takes only a few minutes of looking into the
cell phone radiation quagmire before I start to think, man,
these guys have Big Tobacco 2.0 written all over them.
Actually, I'm not the first to think of it, but a recent
article in the
University of Washington alumni magazine indicates that
the behaviors aren't going away, even as the potentially
damning research continues to mount.”
OK, I know the obvious differences: I'm sure cell phone
manufacturers are not deliberately making their products more
addictive, for example – although they are, of course,
always offering new and improved services and ever-increasing
buckets of minutes, which can't help but encourage us to use
our phones more and more frequently. But, just as Big Tobacco
did, the cell phone industry seems bound and determined to
thwart and deny any suggestion that its product might be
dangerous.”
A history of bad news”
For example, in 1994, University of Washington bioengineering
professors Henry Lai and Narendra Singh found that the DNA in
rats' brains was damaged after two hours of exposure to levels
of microwave radiation considered safe by the government. When
Lai and Singh published the research, a leaked memo from
Motorola's head of global strategy, Norm Sandler talked about
ways to minimize damage by undermining their research, with
Sandler writing, "I think that we have sufficiently
war-gamed the Lai/Singh issue." Ouch. Worse, research
biologist Jerry Phillips, who was paid by Motorola to conduct
similar testing, says he was able to duplicate Lai and Singh's
findings, but was then asked not to publish the research and
was subsequently shunned by the company. Motorola says it told
Phillips that his findings needed clarification, and the
industry still maintains that Lai and Singh's results have
never been duplicated and can't be considered legitimate.”
The biggest Russell Crowe-style insider in this case, though,
is Dr. George Carlo, who was hired by the Cellular
Telecommunications & Internet Association to head up a $28
million research program into possible health effects from
cellular phones. Unfortunately, he now says his findings show
an increased rate of brain cancer deaths, development of
tumors, and genetic damage among heavy cell phone users. He
wrote this
letter of concern to the president of AT&T Corporation
and later went public with his findings after what he
considered to be neglect by the industry. He's since broken
with the industry, become a vocal critic, and coauthored a
book called Cell
Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age--so you
can tell he's on the "cell phones could cause
cancer" side of things.”
Meanwhile, more studies keep coming, and they seem to be
getting worse. A study funded by the European Union reported
last December that radio waves from mobile phones do,
definitively, damage DNA and other cells in the body--and that
the damage extended to the next generation of cells. Even
though mutated cells are considered a possible cause of
cancer, the UK National Radiological Protection Board said
that since the study didn't show that the damage definitely
led to disease, consumers shouldn't worry too much about the
findings.”
Uh, right. In the meantime, the report recommended that
children use mobile phones only in emergency situations. You
know, just in case. How reassuring.”
The cell phone industry hasn't commissioned another
large-scale study – at least not publicly – since its
fateful encounter with Dr. Carlo – and why would they?
They're in a catch-22. It's a multibillion-dollar industry and
they simply can't afford to find out, definitively, that cell
phones are dangerous. Worse, just like the tobacco companies,
if they start issuing warnings and precautionary tales now,
it'll look like they knew all along that the radio waves were
dangerous, opening them up to major liability claims. They've
already dodged one big, big bullet – an $800 million lawsuit
against Motorola and cell phone carriers was thrown
out in 2002, with the judge ruling that there wasn't
sufficient evidence for trial. Since then, neurologist Dr.
Christopher Newman, who filed the lawsuit, has died of brain
cancer.”
Listen, I use a cell phone, and I'm not trying to scare the
bejesus out of everyone. But I do use a headset when
I'm talking for any long period of time, and I carry that
sucker in my purse, not my pocket. (I know you guys don't have
that luxury, but reconsider the briefcase, OK?) And if you're
shopping for a new phone, you might want to check our cell
phone radiation chart to see which ones carry a low
dose.”
In a few more years, we'll either know for sure that cell
phones can cause cancer, or we'll know they can't. I just hope
we don't find out the hard way – through subpoenaed
documents from cell phone makers and carriers who've been
trying to minimize their damages and maximize their profits
for more than a decade.”
There are more abuses which we deal with every day and which
are potentially harmful in the long term. See these articles for additional information on
misuse of our environment and resources, including some possible
everyday causes of
cancer:
Steroid use.
Artificial
sweeteners.
Biotechnology.
Disclaimer:
This article in no way should be taken as “medical advice”
on any product, condition or course of action, nor does it
constitute in any way “medical advice” endorsing any
specific product, specific result, nor any possible cure for
any condition or problem. This article is meant as a source of
information upon which you may base your decision as to
whether or not you should begin using any vitamin, mineral
and/or herbal supplement for better health, or begin using a
“greens” product as a dietary supplement.
If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult your
physician and, if possible, consult a second physician for a
possible different opinion. The author does not bear any
responsibility for your decisions nor for the outcome of your
actions based upon those decisions.
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