Oops. Turns out radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.
Should this really be any surprise? It’s just not natural to have an electronic device that’s receiving and transmitting cellular data pressed up to your temple for, what could be for some people, hours a day. International study results released in 2010 showed participants in the study who used cell phones for 10 years or more had doubled the rate of brain glioma, a type of tumor I'm guessing you probably don't want to have.
Of course the news reports are using words like “may” and “could prove to be harmful” in order to keep corporate sponsors and prevent a drop in AT&T stock.
Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Still, will this important information have any effect on the millions of humanoids who enjoy and depend on their self-serving, intimate relationships with cell phones? The types who gab on their gadgets while on the treadmill at the gym and answer them in restaurants? Or the parents who defend giving their kids cell phones so they can monitor their whereabouts at any given time of the day? Guess what? According to radiation experts at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center:
Childrens' skulls and scalps are thinner. So the radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain of children and young adults. Their cells are dividing faster rate, so the impact of radiation can be much larger.
Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Is it too late to turn back? I can hear parents now, “It’s a dangerous world. Kids need all the protection they can get!” Enabling your kids to text their friends a dozen a times a day or interrupting the classroom with your “emergency” calls will not prevent them from being stalked on Facebook or convince them drugs aren’t fun. It just won’t.
Others might say, “I need to be able to multitask!!’ These are most likely the folks who break the law by talking on their cells while driving or are too self-conscious to eat a meal in public alone.
I’ve never understood the obsession with the cell phones. They are mostly glorified human leashes, as far as I can tell. Why are some folks so willing to be tethered? Do we really think our lives so busy, important or fragile it’s imperative we call our spouses every 20 minutes to let them know exactly where we are on the freeway or send them a photo of a possible life altering shoe purchase? Please don’t pollute the airwaves by texting me details about your neighbor sunbathing nude in their own backyard. I don’t care. Unless you’re trapped in your car on the railroad tracks or in line for a new kidney, the need to communicate the events of your day as they unfold just isn’t that interesting or important (even to your family, truth be told). Save it for the dinner table like in the olden days.
As a species, are we really so easily enamored by shiny objects that we simply must carry around a carcinogenic hazard in our pockets? Is the trade off that important? Ironically, it seems many folks often use their cell phones to actually avoid communication or as a secret spy device to intercept information meant for someone else. How is this benefiting culture and society?
Clearly our brains were not meant to be bombarded up close and personal by electronic currents on a daily basis. It’s really a no-brainer (couldn’t resist!). Considering the toxic waste, public nuisance, danger to road safety, and now serious health concern cell phones cause, maybe it’s time to shut the damn things off and get back to living.
Or does your head hurt just thinking about it?
