WHO: Cell Phones Linked to Brain Cancer, Again

[gto127]

I was a tech in a cellphone repair for almost 5 years center & while the RF levels are low I've suspected that long term exposure might be a concern. This is why I bought a Motorola RAZR. The RF section of this phone is at the bottom which means it's at least a good 4 inches further from your brain than many cellphones. You can also use the speakerphone section or a good headset as many have already said.

 

[FoShizzleDizzle]

These cancer headlines always dance around the subject.

Let's just cut the chase: being alive linked to cancer.

 

[xeensd]

[citation][nom]Pyroflea[/nom]There's no way you could eliminate enough of the variables to even get a definitive result. There's absolutely no way. They could prove that Toast causes cancer just as easily as they could Cell Phones.[/citation]

Actually toast might, they already have determined that charred steak does.

I am done.

Human factors studies are rarely definitive, did you know that 50% CI is considered good... note that civil and mechanical engineers
operate in the 95% range.

There are several factors that are affect these seesaw studies:

1. Politics and money: cell phone companies don't want this to be "true".

2. As others have noted factors outside are major factors: any type of cancer is rarely (if ever) caused by ONE factor. In humans the variation in lifestyle, habits, location, diet, allergies... even sources of food (an the list goes on and on). You cannot take into account all these variables. So what statistics determines is correlations (when this is present this seems to occur) not causality (this causes this) when you present a statistical study, a statistician would rip you a new one for saying this causes this.

3. The media... the media loves sexy, provocative headlines, this is one (see you guys clicked on it read it). This story uses linked to which is fair... but saying this causes is a lie...

Sorry for the rant... but this stuff is soooo annoying.

Note: Statistics is also highly dependent on the person "crunching" the numbers a point here or there can easily alter the outcome of the study.

 

[xeensd]

[citation][nom]FoShizzleDizzle[/nom]These cancer headlines always dance around the subject.Let's just cut the chase: being alive linked to cancer.[/citation]

This is pretty much the bottom line... bravo.

 

[kentlowt]

This is like saying people who eat carrots die so carrots must be bad for you. Almost every thing that comes out of this organization has a political or social motivation behind it. Even their studdies are suspect many times because they don't take into account other contributing factors. Like genetic history!!! They come up with a theory and then manipulate the data to prove their point which is not even science at all its propaganda.

 

[scryer_360]

I don't know the WTO's procedure for testing this, but if it was true, we'd already have far, far more cases of brain cancer than we do.

The kind of radiation we are talking about here is also given off by radio towers and power lines. A power line, at 30 feet away emits up to 170 times the radiation we are talking about from a cell phone. Many people have houses right underneath power lines, even today.

Pen and Teller did a show about it actually. While I do agree that its possible for this kind of radiation to have an effect, what a cell phone gives off is in such low quantities that, again, radio stations should have fried our brains a long time ago if this were to be extremely dangerous.

@santimun: the very radiation we are talking about from a cell phone? BlueTooth headsets emit it as well. Microwave ovens emit it to (back in the 70s, there was a massive scare that Microwave ovens could cause brain cancer as well).

Headphones? If they are wireless headphones, they also give off the same kind of radiation. We are talking about basic radio and microwave signals here.

 

[kentlowt]

Bottom line they are just looking to create an enemy to demonize. So they can be the knight in shining armor for the clueless in society.

 

[techguy378]

[citation][nom]nelson_nel[/nom]No, you're the moron. It isn't just a function of the frequency, it's the power of the signal. And yes, we all (hopefully) realize the power is very low on the cell phones but guess what (if you know how to even imagine things)? Over 10 years (believe it or not, you might live to see you next 10 years...) you will have subjected your brain to MASSIVE amounts of low radiation over a long period of time. Does that sound healthy to you? Probably, because you're a moron. Case closed.[/citation]
People like you need to Stop. Being. So. Paranoid. Cell phones will NOT cause you to get sick! This study is ridiculous! The various cell phone radiation blockers available to the general public are one of the biggest scams in the world. They do absolutely nothing to make people more healthy.

 

[xeensd]

Walk outside for 10 years and you will be subjected to massive amounts of radiation as well. It comes from natural as well as man made sources.

 

[djcoolmasterx]

Media loves a health scare.

SARS, Bird flu, Swine Flu, MMR

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[citation][nom]maigo[/nom]smoking = lung cancer cell phones = brain cancer[/citation]
Except that's not the kind of relationship the studies tend to show. For smoking, the increased risk of lung cancer is some 2,000 percent, or 20 times greater risk, for smokers compared to nonsmokers. Nothing anywhere close to that kind of risk increase has been found for cell phones even in the studies that show a positive correlation.

[citation][nom]PrangeWay[/nom]Well no duh. Who would think pulling (even low level) microwaves THROUGH YOUR HEAD would ever increase risk of brain cancer. Duh. It's like CRT monitors, yeah that giant magnetic field projecting through your upperbody isn't going to effect you at all...[/citation]
It actually isn't going to affect you at all. Magnetic fields don't cause cancer. Magnetic fields can't even do the things bracelet- and shoe-insert-makers claim they can, like affect blood flow.

[citation][nom]nelson_nel[/nom]No, you're the moron. It isn't just a function of the frequency, it's the power of the signal. ... Over 10 years (believe it or not, you might live to see you next 10 years...) you will have subjected your brain to MASSIVE amounts of low radiation over a long period of time. Does that sound healthy to you? Probably, because you're a moron. Case closed.[/citation]
Over your lifetime you will be exposed to absolutely incredible amounts of heat from the sun. You will probably not be cooked, though, because the astounding amount of heat is spread out in very small amounts over a period of decades, where none of it is enough to actually cook you at any given time. Sure, you're being exposed to low heat, but over time the amount is MASSIVE! Does that sound healthy to you?

 

[jestern]

Alot of very self-assured posts here. I would kinda tend to side with those who suggest caution in the face of uncertainty.

And brain tumors are the least of your worries here IMO. You could also worry about early onset of alzheimer's, dementia; IQ loss, depression, attention deficit disorder as well as developmental disorders from those who become addicted to cell phone use (And there are alot of them I imagine just from some of the inane conversations I've heard from one end... )) and become less capable of thinking for themselves or making decisions without someone else's immediate input.

I haven't read any reports nor do I have a degree in physics or biology, but with the enormous use of cellphones today in America it seems a pretty fantastic gamble considering the complexities of the world we live in and the need for people with functioning and hi-order reasoning abilities, etc. The scary part is we could see no harmful side effects (If there are any) until years down the road. Maybe it won't affect the older users, but the younger users. And who's to say that there isn't a cumilitative effect with all the other newly arriving wi-fi and wireless signaling services online or soon to arrive (Wireless USB 3.0 anyone?).

This brings to mind that Stephen King short story in the Skeleton Crew book titled, "The End of the Whole Mess". **SPOILER...I DON'T MUCH LIKE S.K. NOWADAYS, BUT IT WAS A GOOD SHORT STORY. READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T BEFORE I RUIN IT 4 U**:


A brilliant kid discovers a fluid localized in an area that has almost no violent crime. He proceeds to collect and concentrate this fluid and puts loads of it in a soon to erupt volcano to distribute it over the world and make man non-violent. It blows and soon peace grows everywhere, but so do the rates of senility, alzheimers and dementia. The entire world rapidly becomes a horde of babbling idiots who don't even know how to feed themselves, much less talk or reason.

As I said, I have no degrees, etc. I'm just espousing reasonable and defensive caution. *shrug*

 

[mitchmeister03]

So, long story short, we're all going to die someday. Not because of cellphone use, but the massive saturation of wireless signals flying around most urban areas, TV and Radio, Wireless networks, cell phones, cordless phones, microwaves, power lines, etc... I can guarantee that someone who lives away from a major population center without crazy electronics will have a less chance of cancer (minus skin cancer...) than the majority of people who live in major pop centers.

 

[webvigator2k]

I'm not sure if the phone poses a risk when it's in your pocket and not being used. I don't think it reaches the "dangerous" heightened radio frequency that it does when you're actually making a phone call. It probably just pings the cell phone tower every so often to show that it's still alive. Makes me glad I've had two of the lowest SAR phones for my last two ones.

 

[husker]

The elephant in the room: Why isn't there a single study where mice are exposed to, say, 1000 times the "normal" EM waves from a cell phone, and actually get more cancer. This would be repeatable and clear proof. Undoubtedly this simple study has been and is being done a lot. The lack of any results seems to indicate there is nothing to find here.

 

[r0ck3tm@n]

Better yet, who should we blame for funding false research on this issue and falsely alarming the public over a non-issue? Since, the last time I checked, cellular phones are not made with radioactive material, the devices cannot improve or depress the growth of cancerous cells.

All of you blind little sheep here can spam the "thumb down" button all you want, but anyone with any sense will realize the level of bullshit in this article.

Son, and I'm saying it just like that, son, we aren't your stupid audience. Your cells in your arrogant body are electromagnetic. Radiation from cell phones is disturbing to them and harmful as is many other emissions. I think an intelligent person knows this already.

My question to you is, what are you trying to do here in this forum?

 

[r0ck3tm@n]

Fuck all of you that were dumb enough to hit me with negatives, just because you are too fucking stupid to think for yourself. I have used a cellular phone for hours a day, every day since 1997 and I have NEVER had ANY negative side effects(save large bills from the cellular company). This "study" is total crap and will probably be shown as such when the findings are released.

Hell, they negate their own study when it is said, ""In the absence of definitive results and in the light of a number of studies which, though limited, suggest a possible effect of radio frequency radiation, precautions are important,"" ...are you kidding me? Does everyone realize that the average human is bombarded with radio frequencies everyday?

I will guarantee you that if these same subjects had been studied without a cellular phone, the results would have been exactly the same. If my girlfriend, who works for a major carrier, were to get cancer, then I would know why: she is genetically predisposed to get cancer. She has a long line of family members who have battled cancer. Chances are, there are many in this study with the same problem, but you will never hear about this.

Of course, healthy people with no history of cancer get cancer. Since humans are always looking for someone to blame, they sent these idiots out to find a culprit. People are just going to have to deal with the fact that people get sick and there is not always a person or thing to point a finger at.

If I thought that the radio frequencies might cause cancer, then I would be the first person to admit that some needs to be done. Until someone comes along to chance science fact, as we know it, then I will not get behind these studies. The WHO, just like other UN bodies, is nothing more than a waste of time and money.

The study was not a waste of money, it was probably the best they could do with our limited understanding of biology and electromagnetics. Nevertheless I can tell you that such radiations can be harmful because our biology is so very electromagnetic in nature. Cancer... I just don't know enough about cancer to say much. I can't prove anything, but then nothing can be proven or disproven anyhow.

For you "bottom line" folk, the bottom line is that we are very much electromagnetic beings, EM radiation can very much be harmful, and we all need to learn more about our biology and electromagnetics.

All the other drama is just drama.

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[citation][nom]husker[/nom]The elephant in the room: Why isn't there a single study where mice are exposed to, say, 1000 times the "normal" EM waves from a cell phone, and actually get more cancer.[/citation]
That might cook them in a completely non-cancerous way. See my earlier post about microwaves.

[citation][nom]r0ck3tm@n[/nom]Your cells in your arrogant body are electromagnetic. Radiation from cell phones is disturbing to them and harmful as is many other emissions. I think an intelligent person knows this already.[/citation]
There doesn't seem to be strong evidence that this is the case, though. It might sound right intuitively, but the weight of the data just doesn't show such a significant effect. And this isn't new to cell phones, either. Decades ago some journalist worked people into a panic about the alleged effects of electromagnetic waves from powerlines (supposedly leukemia), and a few badly designed studies at first seemed to confirm it. Later, lots and lots of very large and very thorough studies could not reproduce any of the earlier results, studies of houses near the lines showed less than normal background EMF inside, and no plausible biological mechanism for damage was ever put forth. There's just nothing there for the idea that EMF from powerlines cause anybody health problems, unless they're drawing charged particulates in the air towards them and giving people breathing problems. So far I haven't seen any reason to say cell phones are more dangerous, except for the possibility of exploding Sony batteries or something.

 

[WyomingKnott]

"In the absence of definitive results" one should carefully apply Bigfoot repellant before hiking in the wilderness.
Don't know if they are right or wrong, but urging precaution "In the absence of definitive results" strikes me as kind of silly. OTOH, how long did it take to get definitive results about the tobacco / cancer link?

 

[knickle]

[citation][nom]nekatreven[/nom]The wifi and the portable phone in your house can't even transmit down the block, yet cell phones work for miles...you do the math. Low power levels or not, that is some well-penetrating crap.[/citation]
You're forgetting something. The reason your cell phone will work for miles is not because of the power output of the phone, it's because of the Cell tower. If your wireless router had a massive antenna attached the top of a building with a powerful transmitter, you would be able to take your laptop miles away and connect to it without an issue. Trust me on this.

As goofy as this sounds, I recommend that some of you seek out the training manual for obtaining a HAM radio license. You will find tons of info that will explain how RF technology actually works. I did this back in the early 90s because a few friends were doing it and took the test to get a license (and passed).

The bottom line, get yourself educated. Learn from the text book, not the media or some backward blog.