Dear Melinda Wenner,
your article is well written and the facts are correct. I find it a pity that you do not mention other health problems from the effects of the electromagnetic fields used by cell phones. See the figures here: www.ecolog-institut.de , Aktuelles, EMF Handbuch, Kapitel 2, page 12 and 13 of 17. Consistent evidence of nervous system disruption and cell stress at 0,001 and 0,01 W/m2 (intensities even to be found near antenna base stations, not only for cell phones but also dvb-t and tetris). And check the study by Friedman, Seger and others about the ERK cascade found to be activated by cell phone radiaton (non-ionising, non-thermal). Actually that is a working mechanism. Also check the article 'Genetic damage in mobile phone users: some preliminary findings' by Gandhi, to be found on the internet. Actually the only in vivo (!) research; found an increase of DNA damage and micronuclei in blood cells of cell phone users, compared to a control group (!) of non-cell phone users. A growing amount of people is affected, but it still is not recognized that electromagnetic fields interfere with proteins and so with health.
Thank you for the well written and factually correct article.
Jan
"about one in 14,000 North Americans is diagnosed with one each year — and even a doubling of the risk for individuals who use cellphones for a decade means only about one in 7,000 people." One out of 7000 a year... let's say (for the sake of easy calculation) a human being averagely lives 70 years, (it is in fact 78.06 in the US), that means 70/7000=7/700=1/100, making the risk of suffering from a brain tumour during your life 1%, compared to 1/2%, that would be quite an increase and not such a small risk in my opinion. (just as a comparison, fatality rate in car accidents in the US in 1996 was 16.96 on 100.000, much less common than brain tumours. I'm sure you know of several people who died in car crashes.)
Re: Article by Melinda Wenner on Cellphone Games, The Walrus, September 2008
http://walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.09-health-cellphone-brain-tumour-melinda-wenner/
Melinda Wenner wrote an accurate account of what is happening with research on cell phones. She identifies the key players and how industry interferes with and tries to discredit reputable scientists. Even a two-fold increase in a rare form of brain tumor after 10 years of cell phone use is considerable given the fact that so many people are using cell phones. Studies to date have been done on adults and we know children are much more sensitive to environmental contaminants and more children are now using cell phones then ever before, even though the industry agreed not to market them to children just a few years ago. In the years to come, we are likely to see a sharp increase in tumor incident rates especially among younger people.
What perhaps was missing in this piece is that people are developing headaches, numbness and tingling sensations in their fingers and face, and difficulty with cognitive functions either when using or being in the presence of cell phones and/or cordless phones. Also, people who live within 400 meters of the antennas are experiencing adverse health symptoms. Studies are showing an increase in cancers and symptoms of what is now being called "electrohypersensitivity" or EHS. The symptoms are similar to rapid ageing with the exception that they are reversible in the early stages with appropriate treatment. As many as 3% of the population are already severely affected and another 35% have moderate symptoms.
Cell phones are the tip of the iceberg.
WiFi, WiMax, wireless routers, cordless phones, smart meters, radio frequency identification tags, broadband over powerlines, and even compact fluorescent lights emit radio frequency radiation and are increasing our ambient exposure levels. Adequate research is missing and the government needs to take responsibility and fund independent scientific studies in this area if it places any value on human and environmental health. This is likely to happen only if we value health above greed and if those in positions of power are principled and can severe the ties of their puppeteers. In the meantime, precaution needs be advocated for the use of cell phones and the siting of cell phone antennas as was done recently by the Toronto Board of Health and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
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