http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/23/cancer.cell.phones.ap/index.html

Quote :

" 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 issue that concerns some scientists -- though nowhere near a consensus -- is electromagnetic radiation. The issue that concerns some scientists -- though nowhere near a consensus -- is electromagnetic radiation. 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. Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science, and he believes that people should take action now, especially when it comes to children. "Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said. No other major academic cancer research institutions have sounded such an alarm about cell phone use. But Herberman's advice could raise concern among many cell phone users and especially parents. Video Watch Dr. Gupta explain more on cell phones and cancer risk » In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing. Don't Miss * University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute: Cell phone advice * FDA: Cell phone Q&A * Dr. Gupta blogs on previous cell phone-cancer discussion Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places such as a bus, because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields. The issue that concerns some scientists -- though nowhere near a consensus -- is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children. It is not a major topic in conferences of brain specialists. A 2008 University of Utah analysis looked at nine studies, including some Herberman cites, with thousands of brain tumor patients and concludes that "we found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies." Studies last year in France and Norway concluded the same thing. "If there is a risk from these products -- and at this point we do not know that there is -- it is probably very small," the Food and Drug Administration says on an agency Web site. Still, Herberman cites a "growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer." "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use," he wrote in his memo. Read an earlier blog from Dr. Sanjay Gupta on cell phones and cancer Key advocate for the warning A driving force behind the memo was Devra Lee Davis, the director of the university's center for environmental oncology. "The question is, do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain?" she said from her cell phone, while using the hands-free speaker phone, as recommended. "I don't know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don't know that they are safe." Of concern are the still unknown effects of more than a decade of cell phone use, with some studies raising alarms, said Davis, a former health adviser in the Clinton administration. She said 20 groups have endorsed the advice the Pittsburgh cancer institute gave, and authorities in England, France and India have cautioned children's use of cell phones."

What kind of evidence do they have to support this theory??? In my opinion this claim is pretty fucking bogus. Does this mean my light bulb is going to give me cancer because after all it omits electromagnetic RADIATION . This sounds like the modern day fear-mongering like the kid who put out a science fair report about the harms of hydrogenous monoxide.

I used to work at sony ericsson and even at its Maximum output a cellphone only emits about 31dBm of radiated power which is equivalent to about 1-watt. Taking into account your head is only within part of this emitting sphere your today received radiation is less than 1-watt a mere fraction of a standard 60 watt lightbulb.

Further everyone knows about electromagnetic radiation like x-rays and UV from the sun that causes cancer. Any physicist or engineer could probably tell you that this type of ionizing radiation that does cause cancer is completely different than the radiation emitted by cellphones. In fact the lights we use in our everyday life are more closely related to the danagerous cancer causing radiation than that from cellphones.



as we can see in this diagram the "dangerous" electromagnetic radiation is on the left. Followed by visible light than the emissions from cellphones which range from 850-1900 GHz in the GSM bands are located all the way over in the right side of the "Microwave Section" of the spectrum.

The energy of any given photon is approx E=h*f where h is plank's constant and f is the frequency. This "energy" when hitting organic matter is what causes damage to DNA and other harmful effects to living tissue. USing simple math you can see that the "energy" of even visible light is substantially greater than the EM generated by cellphones.

Does anyone have any insight as to rather this study is truly credible??

7/24/2008 5:31:55 PM

You coming out to pbs tonight?

7/24/2008 5:52:25 PM

old

7/24/2008 5:53:57 PM

There is so much wireless stuff flowing through the air everyday if it aint cell phones it will be something else anywhere.

7/24/2008 5:54:53 PM

Quote :

"Does anyone have any insight as to rather this study is truly credible??"

It's not from a study; the article even states this:

Quote :

"He says it takes too long to get answers from science"

Quote :

""Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said."

This is just a guy freaking out, and it's getting press because of his position--not because of any data.

7/24/2008 6:05:04 PM

well this "freak out" has no purpose on cnn headlines. Most people do not have much technical background they will just see "ZOMG CANCER ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION" and cause unnecessary worry.

Some guy in the comments on the article claimed "cell phones are the modern day e-cigerette"

7/24/2008 6:15:58 PM

eh, you should be careful about putting too much stock in mainstream news reports regarding medicine or science.

This situation just exemplifies that a person having a position of authority doesn't mean everything they say is necessarily right.

7/24/2008 7:47:59 PM

Quote :

"it takes too long to get answers from science"

yainorite

those fuckers

7/24/2008 8:16:31 PM

if you use a bluetooth headset, though, you'll be okay!

7/24/2008 8:41:58 PM

FM radios emit electromagnetic Radiation maybe we need to do an indepth study to ensure folks listening to rock n roll over the last 60 years on a radio isn't a cause of cancer.

7/24/2008 9:08:05 PM

cellphones have caused tumors in ears in australia.

instead of a wireless headset, use a wired one

7/24/2008 10:06:07 PM

"cellphones have caused tumors in ears in australia." [citation needed]

7/25/2008 12:17:37 AM

^^ yeah, im calling bullshit on that one too.

theres absolutely no evidence that cellphones (or electromagnetic fields, in general) have any effect on human tissue whatsoever.

but... if you insist, i'll sell you some protective gear that's scientifically tested and GUARANTEED to shield you from all sorts of harmful radiation.

7/25/2008 12:54:44 AM

Magnetic fields > Tesla are said to induce hallucinations. Fortunately, most of us don't live in a particle accelerator or atom trap.

On the other hand, Lasers definitely can do damage to human tissue.

I think the issue with cell phones (hypothetically) is with resonance of organic matter with the frequencies used. There is a reason we use Microwaves to cook, well cell phones on a way smaller scale may be doing the same.

Not that I'm about to stop using my cell.

Personally, I think dropped calls and the induced stress associated in connection with customer "service" departments (ala TWC) is much more dangerous to one's health.

^ is mostly right as far as I've heard, there are no large risks from E&M radiation. The rewards on the other hand are quite evident.

I wonder if this would still be the case if Tesla got his way and used wireless power transmission. I suspect living near power conduits would be much more dicey.

7/25/2008 2:16:58 AM

wireless power transmissions is NOT efficient even in the PAN (personnel area network) scope.

7/25/2008 2:24:53 AM

Quote :

"The energy of any given photon is approx E=h*f where h is plank's constant and f is the frequency. This "energy" when hitting organic matter is what causes damage to DNA and other harmful effects to living tissue. USing simple math you can see that the "energy" of even visible light is substantially greater than the EM generated by cellphones."

If only it were that simple.

7/25/2008 4:04:42 AM

Quote :

"Magnetic fields > Tesla are said to induce hallucinations. "

The MRI scanners in routine use are 1.5T and 3T

and hallucinations are definitely not standard at those levels

7/25/2008 6:09:06 AM

this is totally bogus

7/25/2008 10:01:17 AM

bluetooth earpieces also cause cancer

7/25/2008 10:49:29 AM

did you know that if we require O2 (in that, we used a different molecule that was less corrosive), we might live hundreds of years before our bodies wore out?

7/25/2008 11:29:53 AM

what about ammonia

7/25/2008 12:37:37 PM

gah, that was supposed to say didn't require O2

7/25/2008 1:39:18 PM

Quote :

"I think the issue with cell phones (hypothetically) is with resonance of organic matter with the frequencies used. There is a reason we use Microwaves to cook, well cell phones on a way smaller scale may be doing the same."

but the problem is, it's not doing the same, not even to a fractional degree. for the past 15 years, this has been the subject of intense scrutiny, and has been measured and tested ad infinitum.

if there's any effect of cellphone emf on organic matter, it's wholly undetectable by even the most sensitive medical equipment.

you're just not gonna cook your brain, not even a little bit, even if you strap a cellphone to your head 24/7.







[Edited on July 25, 2008 at 1:56 PM. Reason : ]

7/25/2008 1:55:10 PM

It's true!!! Didn't you guys see the youtube video where they popped popcorn!

7/25/2008 1:56:22 PM

no, i missed that.

link?

7/25/2008 3:17:35 PM

when allan friedman stops using a cell phone, i will consider not using a cell phone

7/26/2008 12:24:37 AM

has anyone seen the video on youtube with 4 cell phones popping pop corn kernels?

its fake.

However, Snopes.com researched it and debunked it but added a piece of information that is ponderable.

if you place 2 cell phones beside eachother and call one and leave them open for an hour you can hard boil an egg in between

7/26/2008 6:50:02 PM

Quote :

"if you place 2 cell phones beside eachother and call one and leave them open for an hour you can hard boil an egg in between"

not likely

Quote :

" Claim: An egg (or popcorn) can be cooked by placing it between two activated cell phones. Status: False. "

people are always afraid of what they don't understand.

[Edited on July 26, 2008 at 7:31 PM. Reason : l]

7/26/2008 7:27:26 PM

Quote :

" The exposure to non-thermal microwave electromagnetic fields generated by mobile phones affects the expression of many proteins. This effect on transcription and protein stability can be mediated by the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) cascades, which serve as central signalling pathways and govern essentially all stimulated cellular processes. Indeed, long-term exposure of cells to mobile phone irradiation results in the activation of p38 as well as the ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) MAPKs. In the present study, we have studied the immediate effect of irradiation on the MAPK cascades, and found that ERKs, but not stress-related MAPKs, are rapidly activated in response to various frequencies and intensities. Using signalling inhibitors, we delineated the mechanism that is involved in this activation. We found that the first step is mediated in the plasma membrane by NADH oxidase, which rapidly generates ROS (reactive oxygen species). These ROS then directly stimulate MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases) and allow them to cleave and release Hb-EGF [heparin-binding EGF (epidermal growth factor)]. This secreted factor activates the EGF receptor, which in turn further activates the ERK cascade. Thus this study demonstrates for the first time a detailed molecular mechanism by which electromagnetic irradiation from mobile phones induces the activation of the ERK cascade and thereby induces transcription and other cellular processes."

http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20061653

There is not strong statistical evidence of any effect of actual cancer occurrences from cell phones, but phones are still relatively new, and there is not any conclusive long-term data. However, as mathman hinted at, even though microwave radiation can't penetrate through to DNA, there are still other pathways that it can affect your biology. Obviously, more studies need to be done, but I'd say it's too soon to say absolutely there is no effect from them.

7/26/2008 7:53:23 PM

Of course it's too early to say that we know they're safe

but the trade-off to that risk is waiting 50 years to use any new technology.

7/26/2008 8:32:34 PM

i'd be more concerned about living within 500ft of the distribution power lines then my brain receiving <1 watt of low frequency radiation from my cell phone.

7/26/2008 8:47:54 PM

the magnetic field created by distribution lines is masked by the background

7/26/2008 9:15:52 PM

Quote :

"i'd be more concerned about my brain receiving <1 watt of low frequency radiation from my cell phone than living within 500ft of the distribution power lines."

fixed the ordering for you. distance is critical.

but since my level of concern of distribution lines is zero, to say that my concern of cellphone use is "more than zero" isnt saying much. because once you round it off, it's still effectively zero.

7/26/2008 10:03:39 PM

If this is really true, not using a phone will not matter. We're all fucked since wireless transmissions are everywhere.

7/28/2008 1:54:26 PM

^ EM waves decrease in energy exponentially.

7/28/2008 1:56:39 PM

here's a summary of the whole story from a neuroscientist
http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=344

Quote :

"He also added that science is slow and we cannot always afford to wait for it. I think this is one of several legitimate points that need to be considered in assessing future or potential harm. It is reasonable to consider the possible or plausible risks that new technologies or behaviors may pose. In some cases, certainly, it should be policy to adequately demonstrate safety first- prior to market. Drugs and medical devices, for example, should provide a reasonable amount of data on safety before going to market. The same should be true for herbs and supplements, in my opinion. Cars also need to pass safety testing before going to market. This is a good thing. It is simply not possible, however, to rule out every small risk. Life comes with risk, and data will never be perfect. Also, small risks that require millions of people to be exposed or years of exposure cannot be studied until after a product is on the market and is actually being used by millions of people. Cell phones fall into this category."

Quote :

"Conclusion There are many cautionary tales that one can draw upon to support almost any stance toward cell phones and cancer. If we wait for definitive evidence then meanwhile people will be needlessly harmed. If we over react to preliminary evidence then we may needlessly worry and inconvenience people and even bankrupt companies. I think that in general the FDA and other agencies have struck a reasonable balance. Their position has been that the data is mostly negative but not definitive. Therefore, “if” you are concerned that take the following steps to limit risk - such as use a hands free device and limit cell phone use. They give information and some practical advice without alarming people. I think that Herberman did not strike an optimal balance, erring too much on the side of caution and drawing some poor analogies. I also disagree with citing unpublished preliminary evidence - if the evidence was concerning then early publication would be justified. But he does have a point that it is reasonable to thoughtfully consider potential risk and sometimes we have to make decisions in the absence of final data. Being cautious is neither always right or always wrong - individual decisions have to be made in each case. Also, individual people may reasonably make different decision for themselves. We don’t all desire the same balance of risk and convenience (or risk and fun - snowboarding and hang gliding being good examples). In ambiguous cases the best thing to do is just provide the information to the public and let them decide what risk is acceptable to them."

7/28/2008 2:08:26 PM

Quote :

"has anyone seen the video on youtube with 4 cell phones popping pop corn kernels? its fake. However, Snopes.com researched it and debunked it but added a piece of information that is ponderable. if you place 2 cell phones beside eachother and call one and leave them open for an hour you can hard boil an egg in between"

You didn't read the snopes article apparently.

Quote :

"In October 2005 the television program Brainiac, a UK-based science show, aired an episode in which they tried cooking an egg by placing it under a pile of 100 cell phones. All they ended up with was an unwarmed, uncooked egg:"

http://www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp

7/28/2008 2:37:33 PM

well, did they try putting it under 10 million cellphones?

huh? huh? ... what then?

now you don't feel so smart, do ya?

7/28/2008 2:44:28 PM

That might make me rethink the cellphone quilt and matching pillowcases I've been working on.



[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 2:46 PM. Reason : l]

7/28/2008 2:46:12 PM

Brainiac is the shit!

7/28/2008 8:31:24 PM

Quote :

"i'd be more concerned about living within 500ft of the distribution power lines then my brain receiving <1 watt of low frequency radiation from my cell phone. "

there are transmission lines right behind my house. the only thing they do, ironically, is fuck up my cell phone reception.

7/28/2008 11:38:32 PM