"The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
/snip/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080724/ap_on_he_me/cell_phone_warning

Well, gee...the FDA is unconcerned. That sure reassures me.
After all, it only took the FDA about 25 years to admit that the mercury in dental fillings is 'of concern'.
The only thing that is 'of concern' to the FDA is any loss of pharmaceutical money.

I think the line that the good doctor feels "science takes too long" pretty well sums up the quality of his opinion.

And why on earth the FDA would even issue a statement beyong directing people to agencies with authority for something that is non-Food, non-Drug like the Consumer Product Safety Administration & FCC is beyond me.

Hey - I'll gladly get behind ANYTHING that will get people to pry the friggin' phones off their ears that apparently are stuck there 24/7.

Lord almighty - I've never seen ANYTHING as obnoxious as the cell-phone craze. At the moment, I don't even have one (oh, the humanity!!), & when I did, I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times I used it over several years. Frankly, just for when the car broke down or our land-line phone was out for some reason. Other than that - nada.

When I need to speak to family & friends, I do it AT HOME - not in the car WHILE DRIVING, not in the supermarket WHILE ON LINE, not in doctor/hospital RECEPTION AREAS - in short, not where someone's safety or comfort might be compromised.

quote:

Originally posted by BreezyGardener:
.......... in short, not where someone's safety or comfort might be compromised.

Be nice if a slew of smokers I've seen had the same attitude (emphasis on comfort).

Dirt

I emailed this article to my family and friends this a.m. The fact is we just don't know enough to say it's safe. If a cancer researcher is worried enough to do something like this, it's good enough warning for me. I can only hope my brother and SIL will pay attention...they who just 2 months ago bought my 10 year old nephew a cell phone. Can we add an "I'm so disgusted, I could throw up" icon?

I think it might be too early for anyone to know what harm cell phones might do to our brains. How many years of research could there possibly be on the issue? They haven't been around that long and the prolonged usage certainly hasn't been there until the last 5 years or so. I cannot stand them for a variety of reasons and I only have one for emergency purposes.

What amazes me is how people are enslaved by them. Many people I know are now available every waking moment because of cell phones. I really don't get it at all.....

Yep you tell my employer that I don't need to carry one. Places I have received work related calls on my cell:walking the dog, on a treadmill, trying to buy lunch, eating lunch, on the toilet, 15 feet up an extension ladder, on the road, pumping gas, ect. I remember the glorious days before you could be micromanaged on the phone, when people would try to answer their own question first or make a list of questions for the next morning, when they would follow the schedule previously discussed because it couldn't be changed on the fly. Oh today was a peachy keen day in cell phone land.

Gulf Coast Guy, That would be awful. I was thinking about the people whose family call them every few minutes. It would be infinitely worse if it was your employer calling!

Besides the health concerns that just might be real, there is also the fact that cell phones are made with a mineral that is being mined in the rain forest. They are using up precious resources that are found in the homes of apes, etc. THe mineral is very rare and people just throw their phones away instead of recycling them. If you have a cell phone I encourage you to recycle it. We have one but I rarely use it. My daughter has one that is permanatley glued to her hand. IT's the texting thing, 24/7. I just don't get it.

http://www.redjellyfish.com/rain-forest/save-rainforest.html
click on the part that says "save rainforest"

Well, obnoxious idiots and phone-addicted juvenile aside, I'd like to see more than this one person's opinion. I'd like to see an abstract of some scientific data that led up to it. I'd like to see at least a decent-sized minority of scientists agreeing there is some scientific or statistical basis for this one person's opinion. In short, I'd like to see anything other than just his opinion.

I haven't seen that yet. Over all these years I've only seen reports of studies that show no correlation between cell phones and cancer.

This is not to belittle the Doctor's opinions but I'll wait until his research findings, if he has any, has undergone some peer review. If he's done the research, he should publish that instead of issuing alarmist warnings.

Until then I'll use the cellphone as little as I do now and not get my shorts in a knot unnecessarily. Bad enough we've got proven crises, backed up by science to worry about.

Wayne

quote:

What amazes me is how people are enslaved by them.

yep.
I'm particularly baffled and incensed that people use them outdoors. You're walking on a nature trail and enjoying the bird sounds, the insect sounds, the rustle of the wind, and next thing you hear is some loud voice talking about, 'Then he said, then I said, then he said,'

aaaaaaak

a quick search online will find similar studies and experts stating the same things: wireless data is at least an unknown as to its ill effects, and is most likely not good for anything living. this information is definitely not new. check out http://safewireless.org/ for more info.

When I first hear about this issue it concerned me becasue my cell phone is my only phone. I figure its a waste to pay for a cell phone and a home phone. To combat this i went out and bought a bluetooth headset and it changed my life. No longer am i geting harmfull waves going through my head but also no longer do i have to hold that thing up to face anymore which is annoying. And considering i drive a manual transmission its a nessecity if i need to make some mid driving phone calls.

yep my ex boss got one of those bluetooth sets. When I saw the side of her head glowing blue I thought the Borg had assimilated her.

Don't the bluetooth headsets use the same high radio frequency waves as cellphones?

We pumped carbon monoxide into the air for years before science was satisfied that doing so was not healthy. Similarly, we have destroyed watersheds, turned fertile lands into deserts, and wiped out hundreds of species and their habitats before science was satisfied that doing so was not such a good idea.

Maybe if we delay action on cell phones until science is satisfied, we can selectively remove enough of the population to mitigate the other damage we have done while waiting for scientific proof that we should have done otherwise.