Latest study shows that cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous

See? It only took only eleven days for a study to come out contradicting the one earlier this month from researchers at Korea University that determined that the electromagnetic radiation from cellphones has "no harmful effect on the human body." This time around a study conducted by 12 research groups in seven European countries found that exposure to the electromagnetic field of a cellphone caused damage to the DNA of human and animal cells (which means you probably shouldn't feel bad about not buying your dog a cellphone), and that often the cells weren't able to repair the damage done. As usual, the results aren't conclusive enough to prove that cellphones are dangerous to humans (the cynic in us says that conclusiveness usually means an end to research grants), though some the scientists involved did recommend that people use a headset whenever possible. You could try that, but we recommend waiting a few days until another study comes along that will set your mind at ease.

[bc @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

i dont doubt they cause cellular damage. too large of an industry to admit this. matter of time before the lawyers return....

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I guess this might also mean: don't keep your cellphone in your pocket. I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly don't want testicular cancer caused by a silly cell phone. Unless you like cancer, and mutant babies.

[Pissed off John @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Ya, that was my comment half way down the freegen article. Head phones .. now the question to ask NEXT is does bluetooth cause problems. I've cool with not having my Ngage QD taco phone up to my ear for more than style ... but rather dorky health issues. I feel having my AMD 64 next to my nuts all day long won't have any redeamble effects either - like fryin my little buddies down there ...

So, question ... bluetooth or do I STILL have to deal with the damn dual-ear shitty ass Nookie-a ear piece.. or bluetooth gonna cause my brain to go mind-meld with Spoc from 10,000 feet up?

[Zarbo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Anyone who is interested in following up on this information (which is not new) should read:

Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age
by Dr. George Carlo and Martin Schram
ISBN# 0-7867-0818-2

You can probably guess from the title what *their* research showed in 2001. The recent studies seem to confirm the information in the book wrt accoustic neuroma (benign) and other issues.

As an electrical engineer, I decided to not hold the little buggers up against any part of my body and have used an ear piece and external car antenna from the first day.

[levein @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

It absolutely hurts, just how much damage is can do. As an extreme case, my first one was bought in 1999, after one year, I had headache every time I made a call, even it's only 20 seconds, and I had to throw it away two weeks later. After that, I use cell phone very seldom.

[chuck @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

yeah, sure. how can people be so darn stupid? those "scientists" just work their grants. phew.

[Izzy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

What about cordless phones?

Those in the 2.4 Ghz range, like microwave ovens?

Does spread spectrum help or hurt?

When will we ever know?

[agb @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Don't they realize that due to the alignment of earth's magnetic poles, Cell phones are dangerous in Europe but not in Asia. As for the US, they are dangerous in the red states, but not the blue.

[Don @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I hope they're as dangerous as hell and all those who use cell phones as permanent ear ornaments get cancer and die a slow painful death. Cell phones are merely tools of convenience, not life-style status symbols that most people make them out to be. Awwww...drinking alcohol all day long is bad for you, so what. Enjoy a drink or two a day and it's perfectly safe and healthy. Same for cell phones. No story here...move along. (I make/receive about a call a day, almost always under a minute, never over two minutes and never while driving.)

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

As far as I know all the tests as to whether electromagnetic radiation from man-made equipment has always been inconclusive (X-rays from medical excepted). The only affect EMF should have on cells is to slightly increase the temperature as they absorb a tiny, tiny fraction of the energy. Our cells should have no more trouble dealing this than they do with the heat our laptops put out ( which is many orders of magnitude greater than the phones pump out). Perhaps some day we will discover there is some as yet unknown phenomona from EMF that is a factor for our health, but remember-if there is a threat it would have to so low that they not within the current threshold of sensitivity...meaning they are not going to be a major risk. This is another case of people seemingly NEEDING to be afraid of something.
Recall that people used to be scared to live near power lines.

[R. ALLEN COOK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

HAH ! SEE..... I TOLD YA.. I TOLD ALL OF YOU IGNORANT, VISION-LESS PEOPLE OUT THERE...YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE..YOU WHO ALWAYS USED TO RIDICULE ME FOR KEEPING MY CARRIER PIDGEONS. EVERY FEW NIGHTS YOU'D STRING ABOUT 24 ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER ALL-OVER MY YARD-TREES, HEDGES, LAWN AND PINTO STATION-WAGON. ALSO, I KNOW WHICH ONE OF YOU WAS RESPONSIBLE, BACK IN 1959, FOR PLACING THAT PAPER-SAC-FULL OF FRESH DOG-DOO ON MY PORCH, LIGHTING IT ON FIRE, RINGING MY DOORBELL AND RUNNING LIKE HELL. I STILL HAVE THOSE SLIPPERS I WORE TO STOMP THE FIRE OUT! I'M GONNA GET YOU! SURE, I MAY ONLY HAVE SEVEN-HUNDRED OR SO PIDGEONS TODAY, BUT NOW, I CAN GIVE THEM LI'L BUGGERS THE FULL-FLEGGED GO-AHEAD TO REPRODUCE! I CAN FINALLY JUSTIFY THOSE SIXTY-ONE-PLUS YEARS OF CLEVER, STRATIGIC PLANNING, HARD WORK..DECADES OF DEALING WITH THE STENCH, LICE AND THE MASSIVE ACCUMULATIONS OF PIDGEON-PUCKY-COATED FEATHERS, AND MY GOING-WITHOUT, ETC. (havn't bought a color t.v. as-yet 'till they perfect 'em). SO, NOW, IN TOTAL FEAR FOR YOUR VERY LIVES, YOU'RE ALL GONNA BE TOSSIN' YOUR DANGEROUS CELLPHONES AND CLAMERIN' TO MY CORPORATE PIDGEON COOPS TO BUY OR LEASE ONE OF MY 21ST-CENTURY, ZERO-RADIATION, ADVANCED CARRIER-PIDGEON COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (TIP, buy several on my convienient "FAMILY, FRIENDS OR STRANGERS" plan and recieve A COMPLIMENTARY 400 POUND STARTER BAG OF BIRDSEED AND THREE LARGE AEROSOL SPRAYCANS OF DAY-GLOW COLOR-COAT TO CUSTOM/PERSONALIZE YOUR PROUD BIRD). YES, SOON NOW,.. VERY SOON CINGULAR, NOKIA AND THAT BIG, FAT, LOUDMOUTHED COMPLAINER ARNIE LEDBETTER ACROSS THE STREET OR ANY OTHERS THAT GET IN MY WAY WILL BE SQUASHED BENEATH THE BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF RICHEOUS, PIDGEON-FEET OF PROGRESS! I HAVE SPOKEN. "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" J.B.GLANDSHANKS, FOUNDER/CEO FLYING-FESTOON GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS LLC. MAKE FFGC YOUR UNCOMMON DATA-CARRIER (PIDGEON) TODAY...OR ELSE...

[Arnie Ledbetter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Glandshanks, you filthy-feathered freak, you! I am sure you ACTUALLY BELIEVE that it was ME that did the thing with the "FLAMING-BAG-SUPPRISE" way-back-when, but I want to go on record to tell you ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME that you've got the WRONG GUY! However,... it WAS me who climed up to your slipery, slimey, disgusting, smelley old coups to spread SUPER-GLUE onto the perches. And yes, I suppose it WAS me that then created a trail of cat food throughout the neighborhood leading right up to your idiotic, pathetic and helpless pigeon buddies stuck in neet little rows kinda-like corn-on-the cob just bobbing their heads up and down and waiting for the dozens of hungry cats to enjoy. And, of coarse, it WAS me that attached the 200 ft. long cable to the muffler on your junker-Pinto then feeding it through your full trash-cans, lawn furnature, power mower, bar-b-que, porch-glider and finally secured around those dammed pigeon coups. Y'know J. B., after all these years I still get such a belley-laugh remembering the amazing noises commin' from behind your old car at 5;30 a.m. just a slam-banging all that junk from curb-to-curb down our normally quiet neighborhood street. And, as God is my wittness I never knew that pigeons could fly FASTER THAN A PINTO WHILE STILL INSIDE A CAGE! 'Coarse we all know now, that they can only do that for about a dozen blocks ...or so. Apparently, you weren't even aware of the situation since you couldn't hear over the roar of your damaged muffler. I can imagine the puzzled look on your face at about an hour-and-fourty-minutes of freeway travel later when pulling into your parking spot at the annual branch meeting of "THE AUDUBON SOCIETY." But, anyway, I had almost nothing whatsoever to do with the "JUST WATCH'EM SPLATTER THAT STUFF" incident of 1959. Yours, enduringly, Alnold Ledbetter, concerned resident. P.S. HEY, GLANDSHANKS,.. IF YOU DO SUCCEED SOMEHOW WITH CHANGING THE WORLD'S METHOD OF COMMUNICATION BY UTILIZING THOSE PRECIOUS BIRDS OF YOURS I WILL THEN SET-UP A COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY TO COMPETE HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH YOUR OWN. MY SYSTEM WILL UTILIZE BURNING SURPLUS FEATHERS (WHOLE PIGEONS WORK BEST) AND A WET WELCOME MAT. I HAVE ALREADY BEGUN A SERIES OF LOCAL TESTS OF MY SYSTEM AND YOURS SHOULD SOON BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL OPERATING DIFICULTIES. MY COMPANY SHALL BE KNOWN AS ARNIE'S SMOKIN' SIGNAL AND STORM-WINDOW REPAIR CORPORATION. CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE:use of this equipment in a moving vehicle is to be considered unsafe (we know that now for sure) and is not recommended. Heh, wonder what he's gonna do when he answers his doorbell to find a paper-sack on his porch, all-ablaze, bobbin up and down......