wOw's Views on the News: Cell Phones and Brain Cancer - Is There a Link?

Obviously the final evidence isn’t in so I’ll use my speaker phone a lot as I continue to do and only put the phone to my ear when in public. I, unlike many people, dislike phones. I’d rather communicate via e-mail. Society is “instant’ enough for me now—I like the slower quieter life to be honest. Sometimes when need silence to reflect and too many humans don’t do enough of that , imo.

The debate regarding the brain cancer/cell phone connection is certainly not new. Each time a study has implicated cell phone use it seems fast on its heels a counter study is contradicting those findings. At the risk of sounding distrustful, cell phones are very big business (2 billion/year) and also a convenience that increasing numbers of people can’t imaging being without. Any study needs to be assessed on so many levels before it can be deemed valid. Look at the pharmaceutical industry and it’s studies, bias and special interests, for example. Personally, I believe strongly in the connection between brain cancer and cell phone use. I also think that from a business perspective there are those that are invested in the economics of this question as opposed to the truth regarding safety and health. I was very happy to this subject addressed on Larry King in the manner that it was. Two women that I know are currently under 45 yrs of age and battling brain cancer. They were both excessive cell phone users (work-related). Clearly that is two random individuals and does not a study make. My intuition on this one though says it’s a huge problem and as people are in greater numbers growing dependent on cell phones (some don’t even own home phones anymore), I predict there will be an insidious rise in brain cancer cases. I hope that as the question is being answered with certainty, that people will make the choice to err on the side of caution and limit their use as much as possible. I do…

Good Day, I agree with Frank. I hate phones and I love the idea of more silence and reflection in a world (i.e. taking time to stop and smell the roses as it were) where we are all at everyone’s beck and call 24/7. That in and of itself can’t be very healthy to always be “on” and constantly available. Obviously more research and studies need to be done before we can definitively say for certain about direct correlations between brain cancer and cell phones. But being connected and plugged in for hours on end is not exactly natural behaviour. We are bombarding ourselves with all sorts of waves from cell phone and digital towers that are ubiquitous these days. This email just came in relating to the Larry King piece that I wanted to share. Let’s follow-up on this important story again. Cheers, Susan (See piece below) A Message from Dr. George Carlo Science and Public Policy Institute Safe Wireless Initiative Dear Friends: I was informed earlier today that I have been replaced on the Larry King Live Show airing this evening by a representative from the American Cancer Society. This program change was represented to me as an attempt by CNN to provide “balance” to the panel discussing Johnnie Cochran’s brain tumor. The American Cancer Society has publicly supported the view of the mobile phone industry that there is no link between cell phones and brain cancer. I do not share that same view. The producers of the show invited a written statement that they said will be read on the air, and I have provided one. That statement is below. Please tune in, as the discussion should be very interesting. And, thank you for your continued support of this important cause…… Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Statement from Dr. George Carlo Chairman, Science and Public Policy Institute Two years ago, I was asked by the Cochran Law Firm to review the records associated with Johnnie Cochran’s brain tumor. Based on that review, it remains my professional opinion that his tumor was caused by his cell phone use. Key points leading to that conclusion: There are more than forty epidemiological studies of people, yielding more than three hundred instances of statistically significant increases in tumor risk associated with cell phone use; there are six such instances showing a definitive absence of risk. Systematic weaknesses in the published studies, although showing 200 to 500 percent increases in risk, indicate that these are underestimates of the true brain cancer risk from cell phones. Research has identified pathological mechanisms through which cell phone radiation can cause tumors, thus providing biological plausibility to support the statistical correlations. Clinical data on people suffering from other electromagnetic radiation-related conditions ranging from electro-hypersensitivity to Autism provide further evidence of the pathological mechanisms related to cell phone use. Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health promotion information.

IMHO if there is a huge profit to be made on any product, we poor slobs will never know the real extent of damage being done us. I agree with TS about erring on the side of caution. I had withdrawl when I had to give my cell phone up but after a few weeks was surprised to find that I enjoyed going to the store without someone interrupting my thoughts. Don’t think I will ever go back to using one. They have just made it illegal in my county to use a cell phone while driving. It has been proven to cause accidents. So if you don’t die from a brain tumor you have a good chance of being in an accident. Is that conversation really that important?

You know what’s fun? Talking with friends face to face and there’s many here I’d love to do that with. When I need company I go to my fav pub and talk with the ladies and guys I know well and have a great time talking with them over a couple of beers—that’s a marvelous time for me. Now that Annie’s gone it’s the best time I have now and talking with my daughter—love that woman. When Anne was alive—wow did we have really great sessions talking about the world and our lives. Great times those. Miss them greatly.

Who wrote today’s posting?! It’s not very WoW-like. Yes, there is a body of evidence that is beginning to emerge about cell-phone related health hazards. There is even a *published* Israeli study which identified a significantly higher incidence of a rare cancer of the salivary glands in a group of cell phone users. But, it should be borne in mind that: 1) Khurana did not say that cell phones are more harmful than cigarettes: he said that their overall potential for harm is greater- because many more people use cell phones than smoke cigarettes. 2) Khurana’s study has *not* been published: he released it while it is going through the peer-review process. That does not make it more or less true, but it does mean that these results have not yet been vetted by other experts. 3) To link this story to Kennedy’s brain cancer diagnosis is specious at best- there is no indication that the type of brain cancer Kennedy has is linked in any way to cell phone use. Indeed, we don’t even know if Kennedy used a cell phone much or at all. To link these stories together is the sort of scaremongering that gets in the way of rational discourse and thoughtful debate- which is what I come to Wow for in the first place. As it happens, I find the cell phone company’s dismissals of potential harm reminiscent of the tobacco company’s dismissals of risks from tobacco, but please- let’s not start the dialogue at such a low level. And, for those of you who are interested in a thoughtful look at how we perceive risk, try reading The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn’t—and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger.