<p>[WHO:</a> Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/31/who.cell.phones/index.html]WHO:”>http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/31/who.cell.phones/index.html)</p>
<p>BTW A 43 year old heavy user in my office has brain cancer. Right near his phone ear area.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a good thing our kids text, instead of talk.</p>
<p>This debate has been ongoing since the dawn of cell phones. This will likely foster more studies, good studies.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a good thing our kids text, instead of talk.</p>
<p>I have heard of several people with a tumor in that area-
I wish it was easier to find the emission rates of various phones.
It’s doin’ sumthin.
[Effects</a> of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism, February 23, 2011, Volkow et al. 305 (8): 808 ? JAMA](<a href=“http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.short]Effects”>Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism)</p>
<p>Yeap, this is what I’m afraid of. And not just cell phones, wireless phones as well.</p>
<p>suck
If I am reading this right, the newer iphones actually have more radiation.
Guess I have more reason to use my headphones
[Cell</a> phone radiation levels - CNET Reviews](<a href=“http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-6602_7-291-15.html?tag=page;page]Cell”>Cell phones with the highest radiation levels (pictures) - CNET)</p>
<p>A better analysis of the WHO story and general discussion of the subject is at [World</a> Health Organisation verdict on mobile phones and cancer Cancer Research UK Science Update](<a href=“http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/05/31/who-verdict-on-mobile-phones-and-cancer/]World”>http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/05/31/who-verdict-on-mobile-phones-and-cancer/). If nothing else, the WHO report does not say that cell phones = carcinogen. </p>
<p>And here’s UMCP physicist Bob Park’s explanation of why cell phone radiation can’t cause cancer:</p>
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<p>The other thing that bothers me is that cell phones are continuously transmitting and how many of your kids put them in their pockets. I know Blackberries at least in Canada say that they should not be less than 1 inch from your body, hence the design of the BB case. I have tried to talk to my D about this but it goes nowhere.</p>
<p>
This, of course, presumes that the only way EMR can mutate DNA is by directly altering a chemical bond in a strand of DNA.</p>
<p>I am sure a physicist completely understands everything about all the interactions in an organic system of high complexity such as the human body. </p>
<p>But hey, it’s just physics, right? Everything is just physics. So we can rest easy.</p>
<p>Would a case, say an Otterbox, reduce emissions?</p>
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<p>That’s the only known mechanism from radiation. No one–physicist, biologist, chemist, doctor, or any other technical discipline–has come up with an alternative method from EMR.</p>
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<p>Well, here’s something I turned up in three minutes of googling. I am neither physicist nor biologist, but it sounds plausible to me - however, I recognize that the source is not unbiased:</p>
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</p>
<p>[Some</a> Facts about Cell Phone Radiation by Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy July 2009](<a href=“http://www.mastsanity.org/health/research/275-some-facts-about-cell-phone-radiation-by-dr-andrew-goldsworthy-july-2009-.html]Some”>Mast Sanity - Some Facts about Cell Phone Radiation by Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy July 2009)</p>
<p>phones flip back and forth between causing cancer and not causing cancer, depending on the latest study.</p>
<p>Next there will be a thread about laptops causing impotency</p>
<p>Well, there are several studies that show the heat of a laptop, perched on one’s lap for a few hours a day can decrease sperm counts and/or motility, just like hot tubs, and other situations that increase scrotal temperature.</p>
<p>that make sense. if you put a hot iron to your crotch every day for four hours you probably could have some issues LOL</p>
<p>Wait a minute. I thought that the National Cancer Institute reported that rates of the most common brain tumors have decreased between 1987 and 2007 - just when cell phone usage has skyrocketed.</p>
<p>yeah, yeah - correlation is not causality (and vice-versa).</p>
<p>And I know that any impact from cell phone usage may be cumulative (and therefore the verdict may not be in yet). But the decrease in brain tumors is interesting and seems counter-intuitive to the argument about carcinogenicity.</p>
<p>Yea, brain tumors & brain cancers used to be extremely rare but now, they seem to be more common. That’s what Randy Pausch of CMU died of. Scary stuff. I guess I’m glad my kids mostly don’t text or call, tho I do wish they were more in touch with me/us. Oh well!</p>
<p>notrichenough, it doesn’t sound like the mechanism of shaking cells is going to put enough energy into the cells to actually disrupt DNA. Vibrating the cells is going to heat them up (a la a microwave oven), but it’s not going to be able to ionize atoms or molecules, so it’s not going to be able to disrupt the DNA itself. I’m no biologist, but I don’t see how weakening cell walls would cause cancer–wouldn’t those cells just die off, rather than becoming mutated and then replicating like wild?</p>
<p>Heating for sure can cause loss of fertility, but that would fit with disruption of cells. </p>
<p>I’d like to see a long-term study of cell phone use and health because there could be health implications, but probably not ones that we’re thinking of now. </p>
<p>I’ve had 3 coworkers diagnosed with brain tumors. Two died–one in the 1980’s, one in the 1990’s. The third is (huzzah!) alive, mostly because it wasn’t one of the nasty types. Two relatives (unrelated to each other by blood) have died of brain tumors, one back in the 1970’s, the other more recently. Anecdotes aren’t data, but my conclusions are that 1) it’s dangerous to be around me 
and 2) cell phones aren’t as worrisome as other environmental factors when it comes to brain tumors.</p>
<p>The way smart epidemiologists I work with scoff at the WHO announcement.</p>
<p>It’s not just ionizing radiation that can mutate DNA, chemical reactions can do it too. There are plenty of ions already in your body, if they can be pushed around as stated in my last post, then cell phone radiation can alter cell chemistry. This could lead to compounds being where they shouldn’t, reactions can happen that could affect DNA (or prevent normal DNA repair mechanisms from happening), etc. </p>
<p>Perhaps just the warming effect from the radiation is enough to alter certain chemical reactions in some instances. </p>
<p>Obviously the effect isn’t great or there would be millions of people dying of brain tumors. But if it doubles the existing (very low) rate - is that sufficient to take drastic action?</p>