Cellular Phone Industry Just as Health-Harming as Big Tobacco?

http://www.mercola.com/2005/mar/26/cell_phones.htm

 Cellular Phone

 

Does this sound familiar?

More hints:

Sure sounds like the tobacco industry, doesn't it? Well, it would appear the cellular phone industry is repeating the same path. We all know that history has a tendency to repeat itself, and that certainly seems to be the case here.

Critics claim the cell phone industry, just like the tobacco industry (Big Tobacco), seems determined to prevent and deny any suggestion that its products might be dangerous; however, years of negative research may prove otherwise.

For example, one study showed that radio waves from mobile phones definitely damage DNA and other cells in the body, and that the damage extended to the next generation of cells. Another research case in particular delivered quite a blow to the cell phone industry: The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association hired a man to head up a $28-million research program into possible health effects from cellular phones. Findings revealed that heavy cell phone users experienced:

Ironically, the cell phone industry has not commissioned another large-scale study, at least not publicly, since. Why? Because the cell phone industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry that can't afford to find out that, ultimately, cell phones are dangerous. Moreover, similar to Big Tobacco, the cell phone industry will be opened up to large liability claims if they were to start issuing warnings and precautionary tales now, which opens up the possibility that they knew the danger of radio waves all along.

CNET.com March 8, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Most everyone reading this is not old enough to remember the JAMA (Journal of the AMA) ads that showed physicians smoking and describing all the health benefits of smoking. This happened in the 1920s and appeared in one of the most widely distributed medical journals.

Nearly 100 years later, after science has had time to document the destructive effects of tobacco these ads look absolutely ridiculous. I suspect many of these experts are voicing these opinions because they are in denial and don't want to face the reality that they may need to reduce their cell phone radiation exposure. So, it is my projection that not too far down the road many of the expert articles you have read defending how safe cell phone use will be viewed as ridiculous as the 1920 JAMA cigarette ads.

If this sounds foolish, remember I am the guy that predicted Vioxx would be removed from the market because of killing people from cardiovascular side effects. FIVE YEARS, and 55,000 deaths later, they removed it from the market. From my seat the evidence is even stronger on cell phones. So heed the warning now or heed it later. The only thing I am earning on this strong recommendation is the satisfaction of knowing I was able to prevent unnecessary misery, suffering and grief.

I have run many articles detailing the studies that expose how cell phones can wreak havoc on your body by exposing your brain to harmful radiation. If you really don't believe cell phone radiation is an issue I would encourage you to review an article that was published in Lancet five years ago. You can review my extensive summary of that article or you can go to the journal directly and obtain the information. I can't give you the link as the journal has a primitive technology that prevents me from doing so and you will also have to register. Regardless of the method you chose, please carefully review this article and decide for yourself.

Do you really want an acoustic neuromas (tumor) growing inside your head? If you are fortunate enough to avoid the neuroma then how will you contend with the cellular damage these mobile phone cause?

I previously advised complete abstinence from cell phones, but now I recommend cautious use to reduce your risk of damage. If you ever took physics there is a good chance that you understand that radiation decreases exponentially as you move away from an object. So one of the best solutions you can do is to put distance between yourself and the cell phone.

However, very few people believe this. How do I know? I frequently see many people that are fanatic about health and pay careful attention to their diet but never use headsets. Folks, you would be surprised to know, but this includes many top health experts across the country.

So the first step in protecting yourself is to put some distance between you and the headset. Please understand that you need to keep it away from your entire body. Holding the handset (sometimes unavoidable) while it is on will direct the radiation into your hand. While this is far better than your brain it can still be problem. So place it on a table or some handy place a few feet away from your body.

However some experts are concerned that the radiation will travel down the headset wire to your head. I ran an article an article last month on ferrite beads that can be placed on the headset that would eliminate this problem and make the headset 100 percent radiation free but I haven't been able to find those beads anywhere. If anyone can find them please contact me through our contact page for information on how we can track them down.

It would also be prudent to lower the radiation at the source and select a cell phone that has the lowest amount of radiation. You can find this out by going by using CNet's review of cell phone radiation levels.

Last, but certainly not least. It isn't the brightest idea in the world to talk on your cell phone and drive. A 1997 New England Journal of Medicine showed that talking on your cell phone increases your risk of death by 400 percent. Since car accidents are the number one cause of death for most of us, why risk it? Please understand this statistic is unrelated to having a hands free operation; however, in my opinion, even if you aren't dialing, you are at risk because your focus and concentration is not on the road but on the phone.

After all, you need to be careful out there and protect yourself from all the temporarily unconscious people who refuse to heed the warning about driving and talking on their cell phone. I'm not aware of any studies on this but I bet there are a large number of accidents in which both parties were talking on their cell phones.

Related Articles:

Cell Phone Index

Cell Phones May Harm Blood Cells

Mobile Telephones and Brain Tumors