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This morning, I read a column that was equal parts biting and interesting, concerning the disturbing parallels between the practices of two industries with ties to cancer: Cellular phones and tobacco.
- Both products are deeply imbedded in our pressure-packed, time-crunched, "go-go-go" culture.
- They are so socially acceptable that people must be reminded not to use either one in certain venues (think restaurants and movie theatres).
- Often, people use them with no thought about how both will affect their health for the long term.
I'm most concerned about that last bulletpoint because I've followed and posted various studies that have shown mobile phones can indeed do harm in terms of exposing your body to harmful radiation, not to mention growing acoustic neuromas (benign tumors on the auditory nerve) near the ear that is used most often. And what about the cellular damage mobiles can do?
Over the years, the cellular phone industry, like tobacco or the mega-pharmaceutical cartel, has developed quite a nasty habit of protecting their own best interests by throwing money and influence around at the expense of your health. Even when they commission a $28 million research project that proves, beyond a doubt, the damage these products can do, then ignore the results as if nothing happened.
Sound familiar?
All that said, I am in no way opposed to cell phones. In fact, I have one. However, it is important for you to know cell phones have the potential to cause your great harm and as such you should use them as little as possible. Recently, I've discovered clipping a tiny ferrite bead -- a simple and inexpensive solution -- onto a hands-free mobile phone headset can reduce a cell phone user's exposure to radiation to virtually nothing. Even without the beads, using a headset will dramatically reduce your exposure to potentially dangerous electromagnetic fields emitting from the cell phone.
CNET.com March 8, 2005