Are We Lab Rats
For The Cell Phone Industry?
EWeek
Journalist: Maria Seminerio
The next time you use your cell phone -- and if you’re
like most business people you see riding planes, trains and automobiles
lately, you’ll probably start dialing any second now --
think about this:
There have been some 200 studies conducted so far on the health-safety
impact of cell phone use, but none that purports to examine the
impact of long-term use of the devices. There simply can’t
be, yet, after only a few short years of widespread cell phone
adoption by consumers. What is clear, though, is that more and
more people are getting cell phones: Some 100 million Americans
use them now, and the wireless industry estimates there could
be 1.6 billion users worldwide by 2005.
So does this mean that you and I are the lab rats in a gigantic
cell phone industry experiment? It just might.
While none of the preliminary data proves there is a cancer risk
from the radiation cell phone users are exposed to, this shouldn’t
necessarily make people feel any better. The early findings also
don’t prove that there isn’t a cancer risk.
It’s not that I’m proposing that people throw away
their cell phones. But just as with many other consumer products,
from cars to cigarettes, the historical trend has been for big
corporations to cover up and categorically deny any health risks
from their products -- until people started getting hurt. For
the first wireless generation to keep this historical trend in
mind probably wouldn’t be a bad idea, at least until better
scientific data comes in.
A look at the studies
Let’s look at the facts so far: The World
Health Organization put out an advisory in June saying people
should consider limiting the length of cell phone calls, and not
allowing children to use the devices at all, to limit exposure
to radiation that may or may not cause cancer. The advisory was
based on the first data from an ongoing study of users in 10 countries
seeking links between mobile phone radiation and head and neck
cancers. The research won’t be finished, however, until
2003.
Meanwhile, a study by Swedish researchers earlier this year indicated
a possible link between cell phone use and the formation of brain
tumors in the areas near the ears. But this data, the Swedish
researchers said, can’t be viewed as conclusive proof of
a cancer link.
What’s the best way to protect yourself if you’re
a heavy cell phone user now? The WHO advises taking a common sense
approach. Pregnant women and young children face a higher cancer
risk from radiation of all types (which is why a pregnant woman
can’t have dental X-rays done). So avoiding the devices
if you’re pregnant, and keeping your kids away from them,
can’t hurt, the organization says.
As for other adults who use the devices frequently, the organization
stops short of saying they should definitely cut down on their
use, advising people do so only if they’re “concerned”
about possible health risks.
Meanwhile, most of us in this hyper-connected generation, whether
we want to or not, are taking part in the experiment that will
determine once and for all whether cell phone dependency leads
to cancer.
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