Latest Cell Phone-Cancer News: Your Eyes Are Safe
from the today-you're-fine dept
The debate about the cancer-causing effects of cell phones has been rumbling on for years and years, with contradicting studies coming out every so often. The real answer to the question of whether phones give people cancer, at this point, seems to be "nobody really knows yet", so any news one way or the other should be taken with a grain of salt (or two). In any case, the latest study to emerge says mobile phones don't cause eye cancer. Of course, this research contradicts the conclusion of an earlier, smaller study conducted by the same German researchers. So even though they're calling phones safe -- for your eyes, anyway -- the contradiction seems par for the course.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, eyes, mobile phones
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Nobody knows?
I'd have to disagree. All of the large, longitudinal studies that should be able to show some causation have not done so. Earlier studies, especially ones conducted on animals subjected to high doses of sometimes different EMF exposure, have not predicted effects born out with studies involving lots of people and lots of information.
I am not sanguine that there is zero risk to one's health from constant use of cellular phones, but I also don't believe the jury is still out. The pattern is clear, and more studies continue to be performed.
The real question is whether when looking at people who have used cell phones extensively for, say, 20 years, a point that soon will be easy to find, will there be a causative, significant pattern that emerges? The studies so far would indicate no, but some problems only show up along very long time frames.
I also disagree that contradictory studies keep coming out. Smaller studies and one's that don't pass methodological muster have shown some correlation after slicing and dicing data. Very large studies with good methodology are not showing effects.
Separately, studies examining electrosensitivity have been repeated and performed in better and better manners without finding any connection between those who self-identify as electrosensitive and their ability to sense the existence or non-existence of signals of the type that, outside the lab, they claim to be able to tell whether are present or not.
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Re: Nobody knows?
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Danger of electromagnetism.
These tinfoil hat freaks also don't know the earth's magnetic field exerts 100s of times more EMF on the human body by just spinning around once in it's presence.
This cellphone fear is an asked "probe" that I use to cull the idiots from those I want to listen to in a crowd.
Kinda like asking people to sign a petition to ban Dihydrogen Monoxide.
But as far as I am concerned, cellphones are for people who like electronic leashes! You can just call me at home, thank you very much. :D
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Background Noise
What do the following have in common:
Answer: they've all been researched in study after study, going back decades. Every now and then someone seems to come up with a positive result, but nobody else is able to replicate it. And so it goes.
In other words, what you're seeing in this continuous trickle of positives is just background noise: with so many studies done, naturally one or two will appear to come up with a result. But as time goes on, the increasingly clear inability to come up with a consistent result should itself be taken as evidence that there is nothing to any of these ideas.
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Cellphone cancer.
This just in... binoculars don't cause ear cancer.
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Re: Cellphone cancer.
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Chance of dying in a motor vehicle accident THIS YEAR: 1:5000
And you still throwing back tequila shots like a sailor, eating all that fat & sugar, smoke cigarettes, don't wear a condom, and don't wear your seat belt? ... and you're worried about your frickin' cell phone??!!
Get a grip, people. Sweat the big stuff, not the minutia!
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