Brain Surgeon Announces That Mobile Phones Cause Cancer... But Without Any New Research
from the well-that's-convincing dept
Every so often, somewhere, a research report comes out claiming that mobile phones cause cancer only to be followed a few months later by the latest research report claiming that mobile phones don't cause cancer. It goes back and forth and back and forth. So, we take it with a grain of salt every time some new announcement comes out one way or the other, and that's doubly true with the latest report, as a brain surgeon has declared that mobile phones are "more dangerous than smoking." Of course, there's just one problem: the guy hasn't done any new research. He merely read some of the old research that claims mobile phones cause cancer and is repeating the claims found in them.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: cancer, mobile phones
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Cell Phones and Cancer
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Re: Cell Phones and Cancer
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Re: Cell Phones and Cancer
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Re: Cell Phones and Cancer
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cellphones - brain cancer
The publicist who is our "hero" has destroyed his own lobbyist career by openly telling the truth about the phony research, the coverups and denials that tobacco companies used for decades while generations got sick and died painful deaths.
As he is contemplating his loss of income, family and career, a friend calls to commiserate. As I recall, he says something like, "So, tobacco is over. But cellphones are the future."
I still am amused by those around me who think I'm a Neanderthal because I do not have a cellphone. Soon enough too many of them will be limited to saying "duh" and "wha?" through their tumor-induced seizures.
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Re: cellphones - brain cancer
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Re: cellphones - brain cancer
Second, you are a neanderthal for not having a cell phone.
That is all
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Water
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even so
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Tough Research to do for a tiny risk problem...
Then there is the hurdle of trying to find a similarly matched control population that do not use cell phones or use them infrequently. Difficult.
So for a long time, it will be anecdotal evidence: "my brother used a cell phone for years and he got brain cancer!" Who knows if he would have gotten it anyway? Impossible to say, statistically.
If you are absolutely freaked out by the possibility of cancer from your cellphone: text message more and use an earbud.
Every person in America has about a 1:6000 chance of DYING in a car wreck EVERY YEAR, or 1:100 chance over their lifetime. I don't think a 1:1,000,000 chance of brain cancer from a cell phone is that much to worry about, really... We Americans are so uptight about whatever tiny risk the news media throws in our faces...
Sweat the BIG stuff, not the little stuff: wear your seatbelt, ensure your car has an airbag, do the speed limit, exercise, lose weight, don't smoke, limit your alcohol intake to 2 a day or less, worry less, laugh more.
Dr. Rings
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Re: Tough Research to do for a tiny risk problem..
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Re: Tough Research to do for a tiny risk problem..
Maybe it would help if you read the article before commenting on it. The claim is that cell phone usage is more dangerous than smoking. That's far above a 1:1,000,000 chance of causing death or injury. If the danger of death or injury from smoking was only 1:1,000,000 it wouldn't be such a big deal either.
Now I'm not all convinced that the claim is true, but I'm not going to mischaracterize the claim either.
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Re: Tough Research to do for a tiny risk problem...
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Re #3:
Do you live in a cave? I'm just kidding, I know plenty of people without cell phones.
But, seriously, do you?
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Re:
effects with some added guard band.
Below these regulated levels there is no linear dose
effect relationship. But there are effects. As the
frequency and amplitude are varied there are combinations,
energy wells if you will, where effects appear and
dissapear.
This is terribly difficult to understands though
epidemiological methods because the levels of exposure
are highly variable and for the most part unknown.
I guess the best indication is this, have we seen a
significant increase in brain cancer since the adoption
of cell phone use by the public? I haven't seen any
reports that can substantiate such a claim.
It seems that using a cell phone is a hazard to your
health if you're driving a car or crossing the street.
Otherwise, not so much.
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Other tumors?
I'm not trying to say that the brain cancer claim is bogus - I haven't read ANY of the research, so therefore have no room to make a claim as to its validity or lack thereof. It's just a question that perhaps someone more medically savvy than myself could take a stab at.
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Re: Other tumors?
Even if it starts ringing in your pocket, the majority of time it spends is next to your ear.
They should tape cell phones to the backs of mice and run them at full strength for a few years.
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Re: Other tumors?
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Give me a break....
I really doubt that using one phone, even if you use up all your minutes, will cause any form of cancer..
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Re: Give me a break....
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Tumors need not be in the brain
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Cancer not the biggest problem with cell phones
How many people actually wipe down their phones with an anti-bacterial cloth? I don't very often, but I figure I am immune to the germs on my own phone. I am VERY wary before using someone's cell phone or letting them use mine.
Cancer though? I txt way more than I chat on my cell phone anyway.
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Cell phones/Smoking
Notes to self: (1)Drink more caffeine to stave off Dementia. (2)Why are friends calling me 'Tweek'? (3)Drain prostate today; several times.
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Of course what doesn't give us cancer nowdays?
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Ugh.
2) Bitching about the low-power, choppy exposure to electromagnetic waves when using your cell phone is like getting in a full bathtub, pouring a cup of water over yourself every now and then, and saying "damn, now I'm wet."
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Cellphnes simply use radio
Certainly different frequencies are more harmful then others. But communications devices stay on the safer side of the spectrum. My bet would be that the exposure from one tooth xray would be comparable to all the radio emission from your cellular telephone over your life span (in terms of the effect of the radiation on cells), but obviously, that is a rough approximation / guess.
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faulty technology or dangerous, your decision
Anyway getting to the subject. I have had cancer and they could not determine if it was the water at the school , the power lines, what I ate, drank or if was because I smoked at the time. My question to everyone is why cant they just be forced to fix the technology so it does not cause any disease whether it be cancer or something else?
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Re: faulty technology or dangerous, your decision
Ugh. Isn't physics a required course in high school?
Go learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, how it's used, and what the effects are. Then your question will be answered.
In case you're lazy, the short answer is "you can't". And the realistic answer is "it doesn't matter because ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES ARE EVERYWHERE". Unless you're comparing against the typical background exposure, STFU. Seriously. Remove yourself from the conversation until you are educated enough to have an inkling about what you're talking about. You're only helping to propagate lies.
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Re: Re: faulty technology or dangerous, your decis
As far as your personal assaults on my lack of knowledge on this subject is uncalled for. KNOCK IT OFF ASSHOLE!!!!!!
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Re: Re: Re: faulty technology or dangerous, your d
Unless you want to start using the strong force, the weak force, or gravity, as the conduit for the transfer of information, I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with using the electromagnetic force. As a result, discussion of what can and cannot cause cancer should always include a portion on the relative background exposure at the relevant frequency. That is why you usually don't get good research. See my bathtub analogy above; why do you care if you're getting a cup of water poured on you when you're taking a bath?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: faulty technology or dangerous, yo
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: faulty technology or dangerous, yo
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It's too soon to tell
With only 20 years of data it's just too soon to tell, just as it would be really difficult to prove that smoking is deadly with only 20 years of data. Standard toxicology tests test compounds for the LD50: the dose that causes short term death in 50% of test subjects. There is not nearly as much data that tests things over long periods at very low doses or in combination with other things.
It's even harder to prove that cell phones are safe. This is a different matter than proving that they do cause cancer (or hearing problems or other issues).
A lack of evidence of harm does not prove safety.
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Re: It's too soon to tell
That's why you have to extrapolate if you want to predict the future. Otherwise, yes, it takes a lifetime to measure the lifetime effects on a human being and the results then only apply to that particular (now deceased) human being. That's not really very useful for the living.
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of course cell phones probably don't cause brain c
So, although cell phone use probably doesn't cause brain cancer, eventually cell phone users will wish they were dying from brain cancer anyway.
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Risks
My point is that I am constantly amazed at the illogical risk assessment we do every day. We are afraid of things because there is a minute chance of sickness or injury, yet our daily routine is full of activities that are far more likely to kill, sicken or maim us.
We eat massive amounts of fat and cholesterol rich foods, yet we all go ballistic when we see a fly on top of a salad. Makes no sense.
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Re: Risks
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/09/71743
Also, Bruce Schneier has a new article up on real and perceived security. It's a good read, too. The gist is that the public needs to have information in order to draw conclusions about real risks, and without that information it is easy to hoodwink the public with perceived risks (see: War on Terror)
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2008/04/securitymatters _0403?currentPage=all
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Re: Risks
Another thing: I'm not sure any study into mobile use and cancer will ever prove that mobiles caused the cancer, since perhaps there is some other factor causing both (e.g. someone leads a hectic life needs to use a phone a lot and it's the lifestyle that causes the cancer; or someone is depressed and paranoid and phoning people a lot and it's the depression and associated health impact that leads to the cancer). In other words, CORRELATION != CAUSATION.
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Re: Re: Risks
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Re: Risks [Pete]
I don't think it's an illogical risk assessment to have a discussion, the site isn't dedicated to "cell phones and the risk of cancer".
Personally I exclusively use a cell phone and I have thought about it before but I don't dwell on it and it would be silly to do so. I also tend to agree with Courtney and Joe. Who can really trust research? You're always going to have two competing sides in a debate that isn't answerable any time soon.
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Re: Risks
Do you also find it illogical that some people find smoking to be too risky to be worthwhile? If so then I question your own risk assessment process. But if not, then how could you find cell phone usage to acceptable IF it is more risky than smoking? That would be truly illogical. Now, you may argue that cell phones probably aren't as dangerous as the article claims, and I would agree, but to say that we shouldn't be concerned even if they are seems ludicrous to me.
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The most dangerous part of smoking is driving to the 7/11 to buy smokes!
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HA!!!!
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Re: HA!!!!
METAL!!! I agree with all comments made that is absolutely absurd as i am teh sex0r..
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How retarded.
But I'm not going to stop going outside, or drinking my cappuccino! If its soo dangerous how come we don't see a pie chart showing 30% of the US with brain cancer? A larger percent than that LIVE on their cell phone, and I don't see any cancer problems!
Smoking, is another thing. its proven to kill more people than the cancer it gives! Most people don't even live long enough to acquire the cancer. Instead they clog their lungs and stop breathing.
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cell phones- cancer, leukemia
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best condition youll ever see come to leigh to get a big deal from me
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Am I nuts
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soooooo bloody much
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evidence for link with cell phones
You can see all the studies and who paid for them at
www.wiredchild.org
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My download size is about 1 MB. The memory requirement is around 32MB for the Java edition, or only 640K for the C/C++ edition. My memory now contains: 43271
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btw, thanks for the articlet, it is always good to learn something new everyday.
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