Cell Phones - the New Cigarettes?

The Environmental Health Trust, a group that promotes awareness of environmental issues they believe are linked to cancer, recently questioned a study published last year by the Journal of the National Science Institute that concluded that cell phone usage is not harmful to children. The Trust alleges that the study really shows that cell phone usage more than doubles the risk of brain tumors in teens and kids.

In another study, the World Health organization has concluded that cell phone radiation can cause cancer. A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure to cell phone radiation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

A 20-year study that followed over 400,000 Danish smokers showed no increased risk of cancer from using cell phones. A German government agency considers the Danish report inconclusive. A multinational study showed cell phones caused no increased risk of cancer. Other studies, government agencies and research organizations have either corroborated these studies or presented conflicting conclusions.

Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said of cell phones, "What microwave radiation does in most simplistic terms is similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain.” Dr. Black went on to say, “So in addition to leading to a development of cancer and tumors, there could be a whole host of other effects like cognitive memory function, since the memory temporal lobes are where we hold our cell phones."

However, almost every study to date has concluded that long-term research is needed before the health effect of cell phone usage can be determined. All the while the wireless industry has responded that none of these studies shows cell phones cause cancer. However, while they will not admit to a link, most companies encourage users to hold cell phones away from their bodies and to send text messages instead of talking on the devices whenever possible.

The wireless industry uses popular celebrities like Blake Griffin, Beyonce, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as paid spokespersons for cell phones. Celebrities from Usher to Katy Perry flash cell phones in their videos and they are all over the movies. And, remember Tina Fey’s iphone in 30 Rock?

So it was with cigarette smoking and cancer.

As early as the late 1920s, German scientists showed a link between smoking and lung cancer. This finding led to the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history. In 1950, British researchers again showed a correlation between smoking and cancer. Throughout the 1980s, the evidence mounted, as study after study, doctor after doctor, concluded that smoking causes cancer.

Throughout it all, tobacco companies continued to cite “lack of long-term evidence” as the main reason for ignoring scientific facts and continuing to sell cigarettes all over the world.

Like the cell phone industry, the tobacco industry used the most popular celebrities to make cigarette smoking “cool” and allay health fears. From Al Jolson, to Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Barbara Stanwyck, Bing Crosby, Jane Wyatt, Bob Hope, and Joan Crawford, the list goes on and on. In fact, in the 30s and 40s, two-thirds of the top 50 box office stars endorsed tobacco products in advertising!

How long will it take for governments to take a stand on studying the impact of cell phone usage on health? How long will be before cell phone manufacturers are required to make safer devices?

Will something be done before cell phones are proven to be the new cigarettes?