Health Hazards, pt.1

Ignoring something potentially dangerous doesn't minimize its risks. I find it interesting that the studies and articles on the possible dangers of using cellphones and other wireless phones always seem to come from someplace in and around Europe.
Call me a cynic but could this be due to the fact that all things pertaining to the use of cellphones in the U.S.is a billion dollar+ industry? While they tell us here that cellphones are safe they advise us to text more and don't let young children use them, mmmmm. Consider the following:

" A Swedish study on the use of wireless phones, including cell phones and cordless phones, has uncovered a link between electromagnetic radiation exposures and the risk of malignant and non-malignant brain tumors.

Cell phones and cordless phones emit a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, radiation which can be absorbed by tissues and cells that come into close contact with the phone, e.g., the head and neck. The most conclusive evidence as to the dangers of cell phone and similar radiation exposures come from studies on long-term exposure (ten years or more) like this Swedish study.

This new study reveals that people who used cell phones and cordless phones for more than a year were at a 70% greater risk of brain cancer compared to those who used cell phones and cordless phones for a year or less. Those who used cell phones and cordless phones for more than 25 years were found to have a 300% greater risk of brain cancer than those who used cell phones and cordless phones for a year or less.

The total number of hours of cell phone and cordless phone use was found to be as important as the number of years of use. A quarter of the study's subjects were found to have lifetime cell phone or cordless phone use of 2,376 or more hours, which corresponds to about 40 minutes a day over ten years. Heavier users were found to have a 250% greater risk of brain tumors compared to those who'd never used cell phones or cordless phones or used them for less than 39 hours in their lifetime

This new study echoes the previous study findings of the decade long 13-nation Interphone study, which found a 180% greater risk of brain cancer among those who used cell phones for 1,640 or more hours in their lifetime. But it also goes further.

In this latest study, for all types of cell phone and cordless phone use, brain cancer risk was found to be greater in the part of the brain where the exposure to cell phone and cordless phone radiation was highest, on the side of the head where people predominantly used their phones."


If you use a cell or wireless phone, take these safety measures:

Limiting calls to those that are absolutely necessary on wireless devices
Using a speaker phone or air tube headset whenever possible

Keeping cell phones away from the body

Turning your cell phone off when not in use

Texting instead of talking

Alternating from one side of the head to the other when phoning

Avoiding using a cell phone when reception is poor

Using a corded land line whenever possible

Removing cordless phones from bedrooms

Call me an alarmist but it is something that must be considered. Do the investigation yourself, your health and well being may very well depend on it. Don't be like the habitual cigarette smoker who believes that lung cancer only happens to 'other' people.