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Drowning in a Sea of Microwaves

luciensims writes "The Independent is running an article on another study of the long-term effects of mobile phones. Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?"

165 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Control group by jhines · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the Amish come to mind, they don't seem to make much use of cell phones.

    1. Re:Control group by Trigun · · Score: 1, Funny

      I'd gladly use a cellphone to prevent getting a case of Amish.

    2. Re:Control group by jackb_guppy · · Score: 1

      I would not say so, since the now have more interaction with locals for sales of crops and goods.

      I would guess, any nomatic tribes of eskimos, or very small islander where the cost of cell towers compared to return (ROI) makes so that phone companys NEVER would place one there.

      Even in the US, that are still large parts of the land that will NEVER be covered by a cell tower and people live there year-round.

    3. Re:Control group by saden1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Cell phones, the next planet killer? Mass extinction caused by brain cancer is statistically possible.

      I'd like to think we'll survive but I am skeptical. All hope lies in the Amish.

      --

      -----
      One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
    4. Re:Control group by nightgeometry · · Score: 5, Informative

      I can not quote sources, *but i seem to remember* that the Amish and Menonites (sp), were quite into cell phones.
      They actually fit into the whole idealogy of technology that these two groups have, in that technology should be the slave of community. In this mode of thought it is a distinct advantage that cell phones are able to be turned off, they do not needlessly interupt personal life, as a 'normal' telephone does, and such like.

      Okay, heres that source I was talking about

      --
      The best is the enemy of the good
    5. Re:Control group by Ryne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Your comment made me remember a documentary I saw about Douglas Adams. It mentioned how he was a total technology junkie and when he was at some remote island on vacation (not a popular semester resort, but some isolated one, in the pacific I think) he was amazed that he had better reception on his cell phone than he did in England.

      So, the question is how many places in the world there are where there are no microwaves at all?

    6. Re:Control group by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Insightful

      **Even in the US, that are still large parts of the land that will NEVER be covered by a cell tower and people live there year-round.**

      never say never(population density in finland isn't much and lapland is covered 100%)..

      anyways, people in those areas still might have satellite phones, but they wouldn't make a good comparision against people who use cellphones and live in the middle of new york.

      anyways the radiation spreads so thin if you're not having it next to your head/cohones that it would probably be a totally non issue anyways.

      and seriously, any slashdotter has some bigger health issues than this.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    7. Re:Control group by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Well, I can understand how they might not know this what with their phobia of technology, but many phones have a ringer which can be turned off. I thought the idea was that the amish didn't use any technology less than a hundred years old or something. That can't be true though because I've heard of Amish on laptops... there was something about not depending on the grid.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:Control group by cpuffer_hammer · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sorry; the Amish are not anti tech. They are strongly into community and social leveling. Phones were band by the bishops because of party lines (where more than one household shares a line) cause private matters to become public. So the use and even ownership of cell phones seems to still be in question. Amish use all forms of tech (but, often can not own it. Borrowing a chain saw is ok, owning one is not.

      (I can speak with a little authority on this my wife live form many years next to a number of Amish (and constrictive ones at that) They often borrow power tools in my father in law's shop, They saw lumber for him in there lumber mill (well I think some English (that's us non-Amish) person owns the mill)

      Charles Puffer
      (Yes my spelling sucks)

    9. Re:Control group by binarybum · · Score: 4, Funny

      cell phones are able to be turned off,

      What?! Are you serious? I'm going to be so much less forgiving of those people in the movie theater now that I know this.

      p.s. I'm working on a l337 h4ck that will permit me to turn my 'normal' telephone off.

      --
      ôó
    10. Re:Control group by netsharc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Unfortunately Eskimos/islander would probably be way too different to city humans, I wager they'd be healthier because they have a better environment and they don't sit in a car/on a chair in front of a computer all day, but instead move a lot, their diet would be different as well.

      --
      What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
    11. Re:Control group by snilloc · · Score: 1
      I live in an central Pennsylvania, and I've seen Amish with cell phones. I've also seen Amish shooting billiards, playing video games, and smoking cigarettes. Teens often have boom boxes (battery powered) and listen to the radio.

      Two things to remember:
      1) The Amish are not monolithic - there are several sects with varying degrees of strictness.
      2) Kids get away with more "violations" than adults would.

    12. Re:Control group by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "I can not quote sources, *but i seem to remember* that the Amish and Menonites (sp), were quite into cell phones."

      I wouldn't lump these two together as far as technology is concerned. For example, IIRC Mennonites are allowed to own and drive cars, while Amish can't.

    13. Re:Control group by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
      Unfortunately Eskimos/islander would probably be way too different to city humans, I wager they'd be healthier because they have a better environment and they don't sit in a car/on a chair in front of a computer all day, but instead move a lot, their diet would be different as well.

      Actually, their diet is worse and the huge percentage of eskimo youths who huff gasoline makes them prone to a lot of strange illnesses. But yes, they are a bad choice as a control group.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    14. Re:Control group by dissy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      An amish friend once told me, he concidered there were (at least) three groups of amish. All this is his opinion, and possibly some of it is corupted from my relaying of it (And it was a few years ago) so keep that in mind.

      He said some amish reject all technology, which is usually defined as something they cant put together themselfs and isnt obvious.

      I told him that even building a house with 'advanced' features isnt obvious, and he said i was correct, they concidered that a learning experence and they can use it. I came back to tell him that technology in general is a learning experence. He said he knows, and thats why he wasnt part of this group :)

      The other group believes in technology and even using it, but feel that technology should be 'under' them, not equal or above.
      Computers are generally out, because it appears more often than not that we do more for these machines than they do for us. Not all have that opinion though.
      This is the group that may get the opinion that cell phnes are OK. Never a garentee thou.

      The last group is those born and raised amish, but decided to change later.

      Just like someone that is born and raised catholic and chooses to convert, alot of their life is still governed by how they were raised, and alot of old chatholic things still remain out of habbit.

      Personally I think its silly and doesnt make logical sense. My Amish friend aggreed. Thats about all the insight i have on the subject.

    15. Re:Control group by Xerithane · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's not a phobia of technology, it's independance from technology. The majority of Amish agree that technology has benefits, but for their daily life and work it is better to not use it unless they can build it/understand it themselves.

      --
      Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
    16. Re:Control Group by potuncle · · Score: 1

      Ahhh...have you seen the movie Devil's Playground? Shows much about the Amish life. Much diffrent than anyone has imagined.

    17. Re:Control group by budgenator · · Score: 2, Interesting

      the way I understand it what each perish can and cannot do is controled localy by the church Bishop and elders; and yes some Amish perishes have been allowed auto ownership. Each perish also tends to have a few members that push the limits a bit; this alows the perish to see how things tend to be heading and consider alowing or disalowing new things.

      The Amish definately dislike hardline phones in the home because the incessent ringing interuptes family life; most Amish with hardline phones keep them in an outhouse! Cell phones are popular with the Amish, a solar charge alows the phone to be charged with out the house being tied to the outside.

      Amish tend to disalow things that
      1.interfere with family or social interactions
      2. tye them to the outside world or make them depend on others especialy if the others are outside the Amish community.

      Alsosremember that the Amish embraced a particulary revolutionary technology call crop rotation, this alowed one farmer to grow enough crops to sustain many people which allowed the industrial revolution to occure.

      --
      Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
    18. Re:Control group by Jodka · · Score: 2, Funny

      The majority of Amish agree that technology has benefits, but for their daily life and work it is better to not use it unless they can build it/understand it themselves.

      Doesn't that also describe the geek mentality ? Like "If it's not broken then take it apart and find out why."
      --
      Ceci n'est pas une signature.
    19. Re:Control group by scottme · · Score: 4, Funny

      how many places in the world there are where there are no microwaves at all?

      I live in the heavily populated south-east of England, 100 meters off the main road between two large towns each with a population of around 140,000; I'm six miles away from one and ten from the other. The only place I can get any signal on a cellphone in my house is if I stand in the corner next to the window in one of the bedrooms upstairs.

      I am ten miles due east as the crow flies from a major TV and radio transmitter mast and I cannot get a strong enough signal on the digital terrestrial channels to even register on a regular set-top box. To get acceptable signals on analog TV I need a carefully aligned roof-mounted fourteen element high gain aerial and a signal booster. I cannot receive FM broacasts on portable radios with telescopic aerials; I need a roof-mounted aerial for that too. I'm not in a dip or hollow either.

      It's like something is sucking all the radio waves around here into a black hole.

    20. Re:Control group by arivanov · · Score: 1

      RTFA. Not by brain cancer. By everyone becoming a Bush.

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
    21. Re:Control group by heredity · · Score: 1

      With respect to a control group, you have to remember that it's not sufficient to find just *any* group of people who don't use cell phones. The whole point of a control group is to isolate the variable(s) under study -- cell phone usage in this case, and determine if the variable(s) are correlated with some other measure(s). Otherwise, you can't tell what's responsible for the measured results -- is it the Amish's diet, life style, cell phone usage, etc... So, the two groups should be similar in all respects, except cell phone usage.

    22. Re:Control group by Yuan-Lung · · Score: 1
      p.s. I'm working on a l337 h4ck that will permit me to turn my 'normal' telephone off.

      any of the following works:
      • ripping the phone jack out of the wall socket
      • buy a phone with the "ringer off" option. some models do have that feature. I own a couple phones that do have this switch
      • occupy the phone line. you can accomplish this with a dial-up modem or a teenager. disable call waiting if you have it.
      • set your answering machine to answer on first ring, and turn the speaker volume off
    23. Re:Control group by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      It's not so much that they keep it in an outhouse out of preference... the preference is that the phone is not in the main residential building/house. Thus if they have a barn, they're just as likely to put the phone there so long as it's far enough away from the house.

      The amish that my family has bought outbuildings from in the past has their phone installed in a barn.

      It's also possible that someone heard outbuilding (which is any building not attached to the main house) and confused it with outhouse.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
    24. Re:Control group by JAgostoni · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's your gigantic ./'ing ass ... sorry, I just blurted that one out because I haven't seen any stereotypical ./ nerd/fat/GF-less/ugly jokes in awhile. I am sure your ass isn't big enough to suck in radio waves ... or is it...

    25. Re:Control group by BSD+Yoda · · Score: 1
      I wouldn't lump these two together as far as technology is concerned. For example, IIRC Mennonites are allowed to own and drive cars, while Amish can't.

      Yes, and Mennonites are allowed to use Vi, whilst the poor Amish must make do with Emacs.

    26. Re:Control group by Magius_AR · · Score: 1
      I live in the heavily populated south-east of England, 100 meters off the main road between two large towns each with a population of around 140,000; I'm six miles away from one and ten from the other. The only place I can get any signal on a cellphone in my house is if I stand in the corner next to the window in one of the bedrooms upstairs.

      I am ten miles due east as the crow flies from a major TV and radio transmitter mast and I cannot get a strong enough signal on the digital terrestrial channels to even register on a regular set-top box. To get acceptable signals on analog TV I need a carefully aligned roof-mounted fourteen element high gain aerial and a signal booster. I cannot receive FM broacasts on portable radios with telescopic aerials; I need a roof-mounted aerial for that too. I'm not in a dip or hollow either.

      It's like something is sucking all the radio waves around here into a black hole.

      "Can you hear me now?"
      ...
      "SHIT!"
  2. Easy to create a control group by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Tinfoil hats

    1. Re:Easy to create a control group by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      I think you meant to say, a tin foil hat might work as a parabolic antenna which concentrates the cell phone waves into your brain. It depends (obviously) on the shape of the hat. It might turn out that a beanie will fry your lobes, but one of those hats like you make out of newspaper that look like a little boat is just the right thing. Or vice versa.

      Anyway, tinfoil hats are specifically used for protection from the orbital mind control satellites. I also wonder if a propeller beanie might be the advanced form of a tinfoil hat; the chaotically-spinning propeller might create interference that their compensators cannot prevent.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Sea of Microwaves by Kardis314 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't own a cell phone, but with all the microwaves floating around major metro areas I wonder if even those of us who shun this technology will be affected.

    --
    - It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times. Stupid Monkey!!
    1. Re:Sea of Microwaves by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You might want to read this New Scientist article where (it is claimed that) "Mays Swicord spent 26 years searching for a health effect of radio-frequency radiation. He tried and tried to falsify the notion that this radiation - the kind emitted by mobile phones - has no effect. He failed."

    2. Re:Sea of Microwaves by MickLinux · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's no joke. Since a vehicle is rather like a wave box, the microwaves inside public transportation (autobuses, trains) would probably be greater than for a person just holding it up to their ear.

      However, having read the article on Google, I would like to preemptively say to those people who work for cell phone companies: THIS IS NOT FUD. When the companies actively squash research to find out whether such a thing is safe, it implies that the companies know ahead of time what the results will be, and that the results will be detrimental.

      So before you start saying "FUD FUD FUD" like the last 3-4 articles on cell phones this year, look at the articles that are available on Google news.

      --
      Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
    3. Re:Sea of Microwaves by Kardis314 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      interesting article, but it's hard to prove a negitave. There would seem to be many studies that disagree w/him, and I doubt his assertion that *none* of them have been independantly verified, simply due to the sheer volume of studies that have been done in this area. Sounds more like he got paid off by motorola.

      --
      - It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times. Stupid Monkey!!
    4. Re:Sea of Microwaves by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      Given that the microwaves are strongest right by the antenna, and fall off rapidly (what is it? The sum of the square... oh shit, I Can never remember this mathematical crap) I'd say that's not really all that much of an issue compared to people who actually use them. It's probably a very good idea to use a hands free kit of some kind, and keep your phone away from your head.*

      * Note: Putting it in your lap is also contraindicated.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Sea of Microwaves by miscGeek · · Score: 1

      Second hand microwaves kill. "Yes, I mind very much if you Cell." Sorry, I know this is pretty lame :)

      --
      May the source be with you!
    6. Re:Sea of Microwaves by Dun+Malg · · Score: 2, Informative
      microwaves are strongest right by the antenna, and fall off rapidly (what is it? The sum of the square... oh shit, I Can never remember this mathematical crap)

      Inverse square. one-over-distance-times-itself. 1/D^2

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    7. Re:Sea of Microwaves by rking · · Score: 1

      When the companies actively squash research to find out whether such a thing is safe, it implies that the companies know ahead of time what the results will be, and that the results will be detrimental.

      I think you're overstating things there. The fact that the outcome MAY be detrimental is enough for it to be in their best interests not to know about it, given that that status quo is for their product to be used more and more anyway.

      What is true is that companies actively trying to prevent or deter research from taking place into possible health risks of thier products is a seriously bad thing.

    8. Re:Sea of Microwaves by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1
      interesting article, but it's hard to prove a negitave[sic]

      Indeed, I don't disagree. That's why I qualified the reference with "it is claimed that"... The most we can actually do about the whole thing is play it safe, within reasonable limits, i.e.:

      Don't tarzan-grip your mobile phone to your ear...
      Try not to live too close to the transmitters...
      Don't use wireless comms at home when wired will do...
      Etc, etc...

      ... according to the level of our paranoia.

  4. WiFi? by N8F8 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do any of these studies include WiFi effects? I just went wireless in the house and the last thing I want to do is cause brain bleeding in my kids. Seriously.

    --
    "God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
    1. Re:WiFi? by SirNAOF · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sad that I never thought about that...

      I have at least 7 access points within detection distance of my room, which now makes me wonder how many waves pass through me from those alone...not to mention the rest of the world.

      --
      Jeremy Baumgartner
    2. Re:WiFi? by l810c · · Score: 4, Funny
      last thing I want to do is cause brain bleeding in my kids

      Easy, have em put on their tin foil hats while at home.

    3. Re:WiFi? by MickLinux · · Score: 1

      Seriously speaking, I have a kid, and in biological-related technology, I try to stay at least a generation behind the times whereever possible.

      That means that if there is an old standby drug and a newly patented drug that work equally well, I'm going to ask for the old standby. On the other hand, if what we have for our old standby is known to be bad, then I'm going to either decide if we can live with the problem, or go with the new, less tested drug.

      But the same goes for such stuff as Wi-Fi.

      --
      Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
    4. Re:WiFi? by TimeForGuinness · · Score: 2, Informative
      Many cell phones have two signal strengths: 0.6 watts and 3 watts (for comparison, most CB radios transmit at 4 watts). The closer you are to a tower, the less power you need to transmit your data which helps in two ways: 1) radiation 2) battery life.

      Wifi transmits in the 100 mW range (I think... also depends on flavor of 802.11). This makes sense because you only need to transmit maybe 30 meters where cell phones may need to transmit up to 1 km.

      I don't think that your kids heads will start bleeding. I think it might be more dangerous if you let them go outside in the sun without sunscreen.

      As the technology keeps advancing, distances between a cell and base station will shrink, and the power requirements for transmission will decrease.

    5. Re:WiFi? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      > the last thing I want to do is cause brain bleeding in my kids

      I guess your kids don't listen to much heavy metal or hard rock.;-)

    6. Re:WiFi? by GiMP · · Score: 1

      The (non-)problems of WiFi are widely known. WiFi is just like a microwave oven, it emits signals at a frequency of 2.4ghz. Because water resonates at 2.4ghz, it causes the water to heat. This is how a microwave cooks, by causing water to heat.

      WiFi is just a very low-powered microwave. If you put your WiFi card on your lap for a while, you might notice some extra heat. If the signal was too strong (such as if you setup a strong amp), it could potentially boil you.. but it would have to be a really strong signal.

      It should be fine to have around with kids as long as they don't put it in their mouths.

    7. Re:WiFi? by hobbesmaster · · Score: 1

      [blockquote][i] Wifi transmits in the 100 mW range (I think... also depends on flavor of 802.11). This makes sense because you only need to transmit maybe 30 meters where cell phones may need to transmit up to 1 km.[/blockquote][/i]

      Of course that can be modded. A friend of mine has a 1 watt omnidirectional mounted on top of a TV antenna in his back yard. This base station can be picked up for a mile around his house with his 3 foot omnidirectional on his SUV.

      One of these days I'm going to have to find his house by homing on that wifi signal...

    8. Re:WiFi? by Snafoo · · Score: 1

      As a constant cordless telephone user, I wanted to know myself, so I did a wee bit o' googling and came up with this FAQ, published by the FDA in 2002:
      http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/qa.html

      An exerpt:

      The term "wireless phone" refers here to hand-held wireless phones with built-in antennas, often called "cell," "mobile," or "PCS" phones. ... The so-called "cordless phones," which have a base unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house, typically operate at far lower power levels, and thus produce RF exposures well within the FCC's compliance limits.

      The upshot being, your kids are probably okay w/o the tinfoil hat. Esp. considering that your base station isn't strapped to their heads. (Though you could always strap it to the head of one of them, and keep the other as a control. ;)

      --
      - undoware.ca
    9. Re:WiFi? by mckyj57 · · Score: 1

      I sincerely doubt that will be a factor. Remember the inverse square dropoff in radiation intensity. Cell phones are held right to your head...

    10. Re:WiFi? by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 1

      Wifi is hundreds of times less powerful than mobile phones, so I don't think you have a whole lot to worry about.

    11. Re:WiFi? by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 2, Informative

      WiFi is just a very low-powered microwave

      Yes. Microwaves operate at 700-1000W, while WiFi tops out at 250mW.

      If you put your WiFi card on your lap for a while, you might notice some extra heat

      That's from the electronics. RF chips are not 100% efficient.

      If the signal was too strong (such as if you setup a strong amp), it could potentially boil you.. but it would have to be a really strong signal.

      Say, around 800W should do the trick. 250mW will never boil you, period. That's like standing 4 feet from a 60W bulb.

      It should be fine to have around with kids as long as they don't put it in their mouths.

      Yeah, my netgear card is small enough to swallow.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    12. Re:WiFi? by squiggleslash · · Score: 2, Informative
      Few if any modern cellphones are capable of radiating anything close to 3W of power and are usually much lower than 0.6W. Most run in at around 250mW, and usually step down, not up, from there. The higher wattages used to be available for analogue usage, where range was a function of power, and some phones were connected to car batteries and therefore the concept of a phone having a reliable source of power that strong was more usual.

      For both Time Division Multiple-Access systems, such as iDEN, TDMA (IS-136), and GSM, range is related to the speed of light and the risk of two phones transmitting on supposedly sequential time slots that end up overlapping because the two phones are sufficiently far enough away from the transmitter that they can't accurately avoid doing so. The maximum range is usually 9km or thereabouts, and receivers on base stations are usually sensitive enough that they do not need the handsets to be transmitting that amount of power. For Code Division Multiple-Access systems such as CDMA (IS-95), excess power is actually a massive cause of problems. The base station needs to receive everything at roughly the same "volume". Despite industry propaganda, most Code-Division phones end up having roughly the same range as Time-Division phones partially because of this, though as receiving technology improves, so may the range of phones using this technology.

      You can get an idea of what's involved by looking at how much power is pumped into your battery to get it fully charged, and then consider how much the phone has to in addition to transmitting when you're making calls, such as receiving the signal, decoding the received signal and encoding the to-be-transmitted one, working the speaker, etc. My 9290 fully charges in about an hour from a 3-4W power supply, and is rated at 10 hours of talk time on that.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    13. Re:WiFi? by GiMP · · Score: 1
      That's from the electronics. RF chips are not 100% efficient.


      More specifically, one could prove that water near the antennae (and away from the hot electronics) might be raised in temperature slightly. Chances are that it wouldn't be noticable at all without very precise equipment.

      Yeah, my netgear card is small enough to swallow.


      You can put the antennae in your mouth, it shouldn't cause a problem, but I wouldn't test it on small children.

      The side effects of long-term exposure are likely much less than that of long-term exposure to a hot environment such as Florida.
    14. Re:WiFi? by Agent+R · · Score: 1

      I think you should be more worried about braindraining that comes from the crap music the RIAA tries to push on to the kids.

      --
      !@#$% whole-grain cereal. When I want fiber, I eat some wicker furniture. - G. Carlin
    15. Re:WiFi? by ColaMan · · Score: 1

      The maximum range is usually 9km or thereabouts, and receivers on base stations are usually sensitive enough that they do not need the handsets to be transmitting that amount of power.

      Maybe in your neck of the woods ;-)
      GSM in my neck of the woods is good for it's maximum distance of 35km. I use one GSM base station in the middle-of-nowhere - at Nebo, Queensland , Australia. I measured on day on a decent map a 35km radius, and sure enough, *click* - disconnect at 35km. It's on a 400ft hill and it's still line-of-sight at that point.
      The CDMA tower on the same hill (with a different phone,of course) can go for another 20 or so K's and finally behind another range of hills before dropping out. At the far end of it's range, the CDMA phone gets rather warm while talking so I'd say it's pushing hard to be heard.

      --

      You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
      There is a lot of hype here.
    16. Re:WiFi? by squiggleslash · · Score: 1
      I need to reread the specs in that case. I'd say I may have got miles and km mixed up, but that wouldn't explain the discrepency.

      Of course, it could be that they've improved the range and added to the GSM specs in the last five years...

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  5. maybe, maybe not by havaloc · · Score: 2, Informative

    I read somewhere that in the early 50's, Motorola would strap two way radios on the heads of live pigs and expose them to *much* more radiation than a typical cell phone would emit. No ill effects were reported.

    1. Re:maybe, maybe not by LordHugeMongus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      not that i don't believe there were no ill effects, but how would you tell if a pig is senile? they forget eachothers names or something?

    2. Re:maybe, maybe not by jackb_guppy · · Score: 1, Funny

      And the ribs were excellent! The slow controlled cooking really helped break down connective tissue so those bones just slid out.

    3. Re:maybe, maybe not by N8F8 · · Score: 1

      I'd love to see that picture. Pigs with antennas. Then again maybe thats where they got the idea for Bloop.

      --
      "God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
    4. Re:maybe, maybe not by back_pages · · Score: 1
      Odd, because I vaguely recall a History Channel (or Discovery Channel, or Learning Channel) documentary on the earliest cellular phones (could have very well been "Modern Marvels") and they said that the guy using the first prototype of the modern cell phone (early 80s, according to my fuzzy memory of the show) didn't fare so well.

      Just above and behind his right ear, the part of his brain that was directly next to the phone's antenna developed a tumor the size of an apple. I don't recall if they said he died or if it was removed, but the engineers had some modifications to make.

      I believe they said that he only used the phone for a total of 2 or 3 hours for testing purposes, as well. If you're not a fan of these possibly-interesting vagueries, I definitely avoid owning a cell phone because of the superstitions that documentary injected into my brain like cancer causing radiation.

    5. Re:maybe, maybe not by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      reports no ill effects from use of their products. Leaders in the alcohol and tobacco industries were not available for comment. Film at eleven.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:maybe, maybe not by dissy · · Score: 1

      > and they said that the guy using the first prototype of the modern cell phone
      > (early 80s, according to my fuzzy memory of the show) didn't fare so well.

      Yea but thats sorta like saying the first computers (that took multiple _entire_ floors of research buildings) were somehow bad, thus todays computers are possibly equally as bad.

      While it _may_ be true, one has to remember ALOT has changed between now and then.

      It may not have been the radiation coming from the antenna, but somewhere in the phone. If that was the case (And is almost obviously so) the problem is now gone as they have found different ways to make phones.

      I say obviously so because noone using a phone made in the last 5 years has developed a tumor after 2-3 hours of use.

      I fully admit there may still be problems, and it could still be signal from the antenna, but we have no real proof one way or another yet for long term conditions, simply because the current technology hasnt been around for a long term to test it.
      Short term effects have been proven to not exist related to radiation damage to the human body.

      The main problem is studys like these generally take a number of years to do. By that point, the technology being studied is no longer in use, and what is now in use is totally different and needs a new study. 20 goto 10.

      Ideally the next form of this technology will be tested before being released. But as the public demands things to be released sooner and sooner, and that is what makes companys money, I cant see that as happening beyond what the law requires from them. :(

    7. Re:maybe, maybe not by Shardis · · Score: 1

      rofl! After 2-3 hours of use?

      What, did the phone use hypodermics full of carcinogens as a transmission medium or massive quantities of unshielded isotopes as a kind of nuclear fuel-cell battery or something?

      Please, get a grip, if anyone actually bothered to look for health threats as vague as the one you cite - nobody would have a lifespan long enough to reproduce. :P

      OT: Hypochondriacs are a slight hot-button with me - since a few members of my family are practically certifiable because of it.

      It really wears on the nerves after a while...

    8. Re:maybe, maybe not by back_pages · · Score: 1
      OT: Hypochondriacs are a slight hot-button with me - since a few members of my family are practically certifiable because of it.

      And people that tell me their life story at every chance like I gave a crap is what annoys me. Seriously, what were you thinking? I saw a TV show 5 years ago about some crazy prototype cell phone and the horrible case of cancer it caused in the inventor, fast forward 25 years to find millions of people using cell phones around the clock and nobody has brain cancer, you added these up and concluded that I was NOT being fecitious about my reasons for avoiding cell phones?

      What's this "Please, get a grip," nonsense? If my post were part of the SAT reading comprehension test, you'd be going to community college, pal. I think I have my situation under control, but uh, thanks for the advice, I'm glad it was free.

    9. Re:maybe, maybe not by BSD+Yoda · · Score: 1
      The SIDCE(tm) (Slashdot Incoherent Data Completion Effect) will fill in the details I'm lacking in this post.

      Some [fld1] years ago, my old man told me he saw a TV show on Discovery [fld2] channel about soldiers stationed at the [fld3] radar station in Alaska. When on Guard duty, they would often stand in front of the giant parabolic [fld4] radar units because they would be a few [fld5] degrees warmer, this effect was attributed to them actually being "cooked" [fld6]by the waves. Now I guess they likely ended up with an elevated cancer risk [fld7], but if they didn't get it in three hours of exposure, the chances are pretty slim that cell phone user #1 did either[fld8].

      * SIDCE(tm) is the amazing technology whereby inaccuracies or omissions will be corrected in near-real-time by collective encyclopedic knowledge. To speed corrections, a standard has been proposed where you provide delimited fields for obvious points of contention (see article above). NOTE: Commercial product announcement on hold, pending resolution of claims that SIDCE uses Intellectual Property owned by SCO.

  6. Blood Brain Barrier by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

    The big question there is was the work done with a layer of bone and skin that the microwaves would have to pass through to get to the blood brain barrier.

  7. Of course not. by Jonas+the+Bold · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?"

    No, of course not. Cities (everywhere) are full of mobile phones. The country (everywhere) is not. However, people living in the city get much different carcinogens than those living in the country, so people in the country aren't a good control group. Any place where people are packed but there aren't mobile phones is likely to be very poor, and thus, different living conditions. So no control group.

    --
    Everything seemed to be going so nice
    'till the end of all beings punched right through the ice
    1. Re:Of course not. by Ark42 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I know a couple towns with no stoplight, no major cross road, over an hour from any large city, but they have their vary own nextel tower. Nextel and unlimited walkie-talkie is big with farmers, and it shouldn't be hard to imagine why.

    2. Re:Of course not. by yummysoup · · Score: 1

      Well, if in parts of the country (i.e., not cities) one can find mobile phones while in other parts one cannot, (assuming all else in these areas is equal), then I think we've found the test and control groups.

  8. Bullshit by l810c · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've been using a cell phone for 10 years and and and ...

    1. Re:Bullshit by dan+dan+the+dna+man · · Score: 1

      Late adopter huh? ;)

      --
      I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
    2. Re:Bullshit by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      actually quite.. cellphones have been in use from late 80's.

      and back then there was some research done.

      and after that there has been some (major) research done too in the field(in finland at least.. after cellphone adaption stroke through the roof in mid 90's). some research ended up in stating that it pretty is less harmful than having your head in the sun when you talk(when the power is at highest).

      personally i don't care that much since it definetely won't be anything SO harmful that i would throw my phone out of the window(along with all other electrical garbage i got).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  9. Nothing new... by Faust7 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Mobile phones and the new wireless technology could cause a "whole generation" of today's teenagers to go senile in the prime of their lives,

    No, no, teenagers have always been half-cocked. ;-)

  10. damn cell phons by ibmman85 · · Score: 1

    I'm in college and I've chosen not to own a cell phone because i am still afraid of possible health-related side effects. however just about everyone else i've seen is constantly clutching the darn things to their ears and it is here that i recently realized that it is hard to avoid exposure to it. can also goto other countries and find a control group depending on what is being researched....

    1. Re:damn cell phons by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Actually, in many other nations, especially those which do not have a good land-line telephone infrastructure, cellular phones are incredibly popular. You should also consider that it is possible to add an external antenna with a lot of gain to most cellular phones, which effectively extends cellular service (For one person anyway) to many places in which it is not ordinarily available. The age of wires is going away, soon enough we will have fiber between points of presence, wireless to every home, and it will all be carried on IP. Or, through necessity, IPv6. There's definitely not enough IP address space to put all the phones on IPv4 in addition to all the other crap :P

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  11. The Abstract from PUBMED via the NLM gateway by nutznboltz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones.

    Salford LG, Brun AE, Eberhardt JL, Malmgren L, Persson BR.
    Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jun;111(7):881-3; discussion A408.

    Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University, The Rausing Laboratory and Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Leif.Salford@neurokir.lu.se

    The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain barrier. In this study we investigated whether a pathologic leakage across the blood-brain barrier might be combined with damage to the neurons. Three groups each of eight rats were exposed for 2 hr to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile phone electromagnetic fields of different strengths. We found highly significant (p 0.002) evidence for neuronal damage in the cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia in the brains of exposed rats.
    PMID: 12782486 [PubMed - in process]

    From PubMed

    1. Re:The Abstract from PUBMED via the NLM gateway by nutznboltz · · Score: 4, Informative

      The other abstract too.

      Permeability of the blood-brain barrier induced by 915 MHz electromagnetic radiation, continuous wave and modulated at 8, 16, 50, and 200 Hz.

      Salford LG, Brun A, Sturesson K, Eberhardt JL, Persson BR.
      Microsc Res Tech. 1994 Apr 15;27(6):535-42.

      Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University, Sweden.

      Biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be studied in sensitive and specific models. In a previous investigation of the permeability of the blood-brain barrier after exposure to the various EMF-components of proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we found that the exposure to MRI induced leakage of Evans Blue labeled proteins normally not passing the BBB of rats [Salford et al. (1992), in: Resonance Phenomena in Biology, Oxford University Press, pp. 87-91]. In the present investigation we exposed male and female Fischer 344 rats in a transverse electromagnetic transmission line chamber to microwaves of 915 MHz as continuous wave (CW) and pulse-modulated with repetition rates of 8, 16, 50, and 200 s-1. The specific energy absorption rate (SAR) varied between 0.016 and 5 W/kg. The rats were not anesthetized during the 2-hour exposure. All animals were sacrificed by perfusion-fixation of the brains under chloral hydrate anesthesia about 1 hour after the exposure. The brains were perfused with saline for 3-4 minutes, and thereafter fixed in 4% formaldehyde for 5-6 minutes. Central coronal sections of the brains were dehydrated and embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 5 microns. Albumin and fibrinogen were demonstrated immunohistochemically. The results show albumin leakage in 5 of 62 of the controls and in 56 of 184 of the animals exposed to 915 MHz microwaves. Continuous wave resulted in 14 positive findings of 35, which differ significantly from the controls (P = 0.002).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

      MeSH Terms:

      * Albumins/metabolism
      * Animal
      * Blood-Brain Barrier/*radiation effects
      * Brain/metabolism/radiation effects
      * Capillary Permeability/*radiation effects
      * *Electromagnetic Fields
      * Female
      * Fibrinogen/metabolism
      * Immunoenzyme Techniques
      * Male
      * Rats
      * Rats, Inbred F344
      * Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

      Substances:

      * 0 (Albumins)
      * 9001-32-5 (Fibrinogen)

      PMID: 8012056 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

      From PubMed

    2. Re:The Abstract from PUBMED via the NLM gateway by Snafoo · · Score: 1

      Very well; this was published in 1994. Has anyone duplicated *these* results? And if so, why didn't they form part of the cell-phone health debate till now?

      --
      - undoware.ca
    3. Re:The Abstract from PUBMED via the NLM gateway by JimFromJersey · · Score: 1

      ah yes, but humans make such bad models for rats.

      --
      between the greater and lesser infinities sleep the dreams undreamt
  12. Sure we will... by TWX · · Score: 1

    Look at communities that are small and fairly laid-back, and you won't find the need for phones. Look at countries that are considered third-world, and most of the infrastructure needed to have cellular phones won't be in place. Granted, finding people who are otherwise similar in lifestyle or health might be more difficult, but that's always been a difficulty in trying to work with control groups, since frequently people who engage in one behaviour also engage in several others, which makes it hard to isolate these behaviours separately to determine which actually is the problem or issue under study.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Sure we will... by david614 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Many, if not all, Third World countries are adopting cellular as a cheap alternative to a land-line infrastructure. Countries as "poor" as India, Pakistan and Iraq (to pick three easy examples) have (or had) extensive cellular infrastructures. The one in Iraq even expanded under 12 years of UN sanctions. As such, populations without cellular coverage are likely to get harder and harder to find.

      --
      ELITISM: It's always lonely at the top. Uninvited company is rarely welcome.
  13. 2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens by pauljlucas · · Score: 1
    Do any of these studies include WiFi effects?
    If there were studies done on 2.4GHz cordless phones or microwave ovens, they'd apply to WiFi since it's the same part of the spectrum.
    --
    If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    1. Re:2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens by vlad_petric · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The difference is that the mobile phone signal is much, much stronger. Using a mobile phone near a radio will give you an idea (and you'll see why their usage is always prohibited on airliners, as oposed to other electronic devices, which are allowed after takeoff)

      --

      The Raven

    2. Re:2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens by pauljlucas · · Score: 1
      Using a mobile phone near a radio will give you an idea
      Using my cordless phone near my microwave already gives me an idea.
      [cell phone] usage is always prohibited on airliners
      It's prohibited on airliners by the FCC, not the FAA, because cell phones in the air interfere with networks on the ground. You don't know what you're talking about.
      --
      If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    3. Re:2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens by M1FCJ · · Score: 3, Informative

      I believe one of the reasons it is banned in aircrafts is you can hit so many base stations from air and create havoc on the infrastructure. Telecommunication companies don't like you messing with their hardware. Most of the cell phones are pretty low powered devices, max. 5W to my knowledge. 5W is nothing compared to what other in-flight equipment radiate. A 144-146MHz (in US 144-148MHz) amateur radio handheld can hit over 100 miles with 1W. As long as your receiver is sensitive enough and you are line-of-sight with the transmitter, you will hear it. It is common to bounce radio signals off the moon and receive them back (called EME - Earth moon Earth) and there are guys who do this with 5W hand held transmitters (and lots of pre-amps on the receiver side and huge antennas but I hope you get my point). In many countries (including UK), using amateur radio transmitters on aircrafts is banned. Not because it is dangerous - it isn't. It is because you can create havoc with the repeaters. This morning there was a nice lift and I could hear french stations calling on 145.5. Unfortunately I had a low power radio in the car so I couldn't get them hear me. I live in Cambridge, UK. France is quite a distance away.

    4. Re:2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens by Shardis · · Score: 1

      Egad, grok context you Anonymous Troll...

  14. quality of life by trolman · · Score: 4, Informative
    They could use my parents as they have never had a cell phone and I do not think they have even used a cell phone.

    The more important question to answer is "how many have died or been injured while using a cell phone." The number of cancers will pale in comparision. Well Harvard studied it and came up with a new point of view that there is a risk to benefit to be considered that precludes all of the above.

    To myself it it is all about improving the quality of life and the cell phone does not improve my life.

    1. Re:quality of life by Mike+McTernan · · Score: 1

      They could use my parents as they have never had a cell phone and I do not think they have even used a cell phone.

      Owning a cell phone isn't so much the issue since they don't continously transmit, unlike the cell towers which generate a contant emission for mobility (so handsets can 'see' the network and make measurements). When a phone is idle, it is pretty much just that and even during a call, transmission at the handset will be reduced to just signalling if you don't make any noise (a technique called DTX).

      --
      -- Mike
    2. Re:quality of life by Agent+R · · Score: 1

      Yup.. which one can make the mistake into thinking that the phone went dead if neither side makes any sound. :-)

      As for the cellphone towers. Usually those things are placed some distance from the population. (i.e. top of a large hill, mountain areas, etc.)

      --
      !@#$% whole-grain cereal. When I want fiber, I eat some wicker furniture. - G. Carlin
    3. Re:quality of life by Mike+McTernan · · Score: 1

      As for the cellphone towers. Usually those things are placed some distance from the population

      Not always though. In the UK there has been a lot of publicity given to the fact that some towers have been placed near schools or in the middle of vilages etc... Also there are smaller cells known as pico cells that maybe located indoors (e.g. in shopping centres) and close to population, although granted they tranmit at much weaker power.

      --
      -- Mike
    4. Re:quality of life by Agent+R · · Score: 1

      No large buildings to mount these things on?

      --
      !@#$% whole-grain cereal. When I want fiber, I eat some wicker furniture. - G. Carlin
  15. We will have a control group by MickyJ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?

    You're kidding right? Isn't it true that 20% of people (1 billion) on this planet don't even have access to clean water, never mind mobile phones. And how long have we had clean water? More that 50 years.

    Don't panic. Your control group will be here.

    1. Re:We will have a control group by Attaturk · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up. It's your answer.

    2. Re:We will have a control group by mindriot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But shouldn't a control group be otherwise exposed to the same environmental circumstances than the group of people affected by mobile phones? People in a third-world country for sure do not compare well to first-world people, and you can not judge for sure whether any differences in health are related to using or not using cell phones. You would have to find a representative control group in the first-world countries that lives in a similar environment as regular cellular phone users. And that is pretty much impossible since most people are either using cellular phones, or are surrounded by them so much that they could be affected by them as well.

    3. Re:We will have a control group by Yokaze · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Those people don't have access to clean water, because of technology (or the lack of more technology)

      To put it another way: A river usually contains clean water even without the help of technology.

      And putting up a infrastructure to sell cellulars even in the most remote areas has more powerful supporters than providing poor people in slums with essential neccessities like clean water.

      --
      "Between strong and weak, between rich and poor [...], it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free"
    4. Re:We will have a control group by canadian_right · · Score: 1
      Rivers not near large concentrations of people are usually fairly clean. Sewage from low tech people polutes a river just as effectively as sewage generated by people using cell phones.

      The idea that things were better, cleaner, and closer to nature in the past is just ignorant nostalgia. The last Lion in Europe was killed many hundreds of years ago. It was likely ddestroying the local ecologu that did in the Mayans.

      --
      Anarchists never rule
    5. Re:We will have a control group by thogard · · Score: 1

      You mean like Egypt where its easier to get a phone along the Nile than it is to get clean water?

  16. Microwaves are good! by Dark+Lord+Seth · · Score: 4, Funny

    I like microwaves from cell phones... Gives me a nice and warm feeling inside my head during those cold winter days!

  17. Not your money! by geekmetal · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Mays Swicord, a scientific adviser to Motorola told New Scientist magazine that governments and industry should "stop wasting money" by looking for health damage.

    Now why would Motorola want to advice the Government and others conducting the experiment how to spend their money? hmm... I wonder!

    --
    There are two kinds of egotists: 1) Those who admit it 2) The rest of us
  18. more research by Councilor+Hart · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "stop wasting money" by looking for health damage.
    I don't regard research into health issues as wasted money. I rather waste money and find nothing than know nothing about the possible effects and slowly die ignorant.
    And every (decent) research that denies any effect, simple puts to rest any concerns. It would simply say that it is save to use a mobile.
    Unwilling to do research might cause unnecessary concern and can give the impression that there is something to hide.

  19. It's a serious risk! by heironymouscoward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    After smoking, drinking, driving, pollution, domestic violence, disease, war, invasion, drought, famine, and falling tree trunks.

    Some relativity is perhaps in order. The most extreme effects of the GSM that I've seen are (a) a lowering of concentration while driving, which has surely caused many deaths by now, and (b) the total destruction of the planned social agenda. People simply live ad-hoc these days.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
  20. inverse square law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hasn't anyone taught you about the Inverse Square Law? When you double the distance between a radiation source and its target, the power over the same target area is reduced to 1/4 what it was. So, if you are 100 times farther away from the cell phone as the idiot using it, you receive 1/10,000 the signal dosage.

    If there's enough power at that distance to fry your brain, the obnoxious twit using it will be dead in a couple days of an overdose. But, since he won't be dead in 2 days, or even a month, from the radio signal in his phone, you won't be dead either.

    Get a sense of proportionality, dude!

  21. There are microwaves everywhere. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 2, Informative


    I'm skeptical about this. First, there are microwaves everywhere, all the time. Microwaves are part of heat.

    A physicist friend of mine and I did the numbers. There is so much energy available everywhere at room temperature that a little bit more has no effect, as the article says.

    The chemical processes of the body are not fragile. We couldn't see any way that a little bit of outside energy could couple to a chemical process and make a difference.

    1. Re:There are microwaves everywhere. by Avian+visitor · · Score: 1

      Did you know that a single atom of uranium when fissioned will give of the amount of energy that is needed to lift a hair one millimeter above ground?

      And only a part of this energy is converted to a gamma ray photon. As harmless as this may sound, this photon is perfectly capable of hitting the right spot on a DNA molecule in your brain.

      It will transfer only a part of its energy to the molecule, but it could do enough damage to overcome cells repair mechanisms and start a tumor.

      Now I don't believe that cell phones are dangerous. But the amount of energy microwaves carry has very little to do with that.

    2. Re:There are microwaves everywhere. by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 1
      Microwaves are part of heat.

      That's an oddly broad statement. Microwaves at the correct frequency can be absorbed by water molecules and cause the water to heat up, hence we have microwave ovens.

      Heat in and of itself does not have to involve microwaves. You may be thinking of infrared radiation?

      Whatever happened to the microwave clothes dryer? They had a prototype working a few years back, and then it disappeared. Seemed like a neat idea.

      --
      --- Ban humanity.
    3. Re:There are microwaves everywhere. by Richard+Platt · · Score: 1

      >Now I don't believe that cell phones are dangerous. But the amount of energy microwaves carry has very little to do with that.

      It has a lot to do with it. The mechanism you describe isn't possible for microwaves because the photons simply aren't energetic enough. The energy of a photon is proportional to its frequency - a 1GHz photon has energy of around 4 micro electron volts, a few orders of magnitude lower than molecular binding energies. Gamma ray photons of course have energies which are very large compared to the binding energy of molecules and will blast them apart.

    4. Re:There are microwaves everywhere. by retneprac · · Score: 1

      If you want to know what torpedoed the microwave cloths dryer here is your answer in one word, zippers. Ever put a piece of metal in your microwave by accident? If so you will have noticed that this results in an effect that looks remarkibly like lightning, and is also perfectly capable of igniting anything flamable(I once lit a carton of ice-cream on fire this way, oops). I for one don't want my zipper to ignite my pants when I put them in the dryer.

  22. The Greatest Cause Of Cancer... by Effugas · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...is annoying other people:

    Cell phones involve ignoring whoever's around you while making them painfully aware there is a conversation occuring that they may not join. Cell phones cause cancer.

    WiFi involves sitting quietly, tapping away, but easy to interrupt on a whim. WiFi does not cause cancer.

    Smoking involves making other people smell you. Smoking causes cancer.

    Nobody wants to see you get your colon checked for polyps. Not going to the proctologist doesn't cause cancer.

    So says those who can't shut up about cancer.

    Don't take annoyance for granted -- a large part of the law, a much larger part than you'd expect, is purely devoted to preventing people from bothering eachother excessively. But never, ever forget the true meaning of statements like "the intense use of mobile phones by youngsters": It is great for me, but I do not like it for you.

    Yours Truly,

    Dan Kaminsky
    DoxPara Research
    http://www.doxpara.com

  23. Euro Disney by rf0 · · Score: 2

    Put all the people in a place no-one else goes. Euro Disney for example

    Rus

  24. Heinlein by LittleLebowskiUrbanA · · Score: 1

    Robert A Heinlein wrote a story about the pervasive effects of broadcast electricity. One of the characters wore a lead coat and subsequently was in much better physical shape than the other characters.

    1. Re:Heinlein by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, a lead coat is heavy. Assuming you didn't break open the protective seal and get lead poisoning, and the weight wasn't too much for you in the first place thus causing strain rather than an increase of strength and endurance, I'd say it would be very likely to increase your physical fitness. And as we know, low-impact exercise (like walking but not jogging) improves general health by stimulating circulation.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  25. be careful with this study by astrashe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's important for studies to be peer reviewed and duplicated. If this is real, other scientists will say its real, and they'll duplicate the results.

    (Here's a little pop-quiz to see if you were paying attention in science class. What's wrong with this Princeton project? The answer is that no one else can duplicate their results. Peer review and duplicable results are key, even with studies coming out of big name institutions.)

    There have been quite a few studies on the effects of cell phones, and dramatic evidence that they cause problems has not jumped out at anyone.

    And people have been using cell phones for a long time. I got my first one about 10 years ago, and they were already common back then.

    There's a doctor named Dean Edell who does a radio show, and he wrote a book called "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry." In that book, he spent a lot of time talking about how bad most medical reporting is. He makes a pretty persuasive case.

    Almost everything you hear on the radio or see on tv about supplements, studies, etc., is either totally false or based on weak science.

    I don't know anything about this particular study, but I do know that a study that doesn't find anything isn't news, while the opposite story -- we're all going to have our brains turn to mush in our middle years! -- is sensational news.

    And its news to say that the evil cell industry has used its vast power to suppress studies (that's a big red flag in this story for me). Apparently the cell companies aren't just evil, they're stupid, because if they did that they'd be sued out of existence. But hey, corporations are evil, and they're lust for immediate profits knows no bounds.

    This story got hyped mostly through a link on Drudge. I love Drudge, but you have to read him with a critical eye. He says outright that he'll put questionable stuff out there and let the readers decide. And I've heard him wax paranoiac on the dangers of cloning, he's kind of whacked out on some biological and medical stories.

  26. Actually, 3rd world often has more cell-phones by MickLinux · · Score: 1

    Simply put, the third world has huge IMF debts to pay, high taxes, and laws giving the world's telecoms monopoly power. So phones were pretty expensive. However, the cell phones have allowed this to be bypassed in some cases: in such countries, cell-phone use has skyrocketed.

    --
    Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
  27. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by s20451 · · Score: 3, Informative

    As you will surely know the electro-magnetic waves used for cell phone communication are just the same a radioactive waves used in nuclear power plants

    Firstly, wrong. Only gamma rays are electromagnetic. Alpha and beta rays are highly energetic helium nuclei and electrons, respectively.

    Secondly, visible light is electromagnetic rays. Think about how much of that you absorb in an average day. Augghhhh, the light!! The horrible light! Won't someone think of the children?

    Thank you for the troll. Please move along.

    --
    Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
  28. The real risk... by PTDC · · Score: 1

    Perhaps a little offtopic but meh..., the only conclusively proven risk of using mobile phones is using them while driving a car or in any other potentially hazardous situation which requires your full attention.

  29. Of course! by AyeRoxor! · · Score: 1

    "Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?"

    Of course we will! People in the rainfore..

    oh. nevermind.

  30. Re:None Are Needed by Epistax · · Score: 1

    Yeah I know people afraid of every kind of field in existence. Even a solid state magnet scares them. I'm sure we'll have lots of emotional lawsuits about how a specific frequency in the ghz range is ruining someone's life (modern cordless phones), and they'll win millions based on nothing.

    Skewed family guy quote:
    "Microwaves killed my father... and raped my mother."

  31. Control groups... by vrmlguy · · Score: 1
    Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?

    Yes, we will, and they are called the Amish. I doubt that there will be many cell towers built in areas where they live. Other rural areas, yes, because a cell phone is so damn convenient when you're out on the back forty, but not in areas where the land owners don't believe in any new-fangled technology more complicated that in-line roller skates.

    --
    Nothing for 6-digit uids?
    1. Re:Control groups... by grumling · · Score: 1
      Nope. The Amish use cell phones too

      http://www.udel.edu/eli/rw4/org/amcell.html

      --
      "Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
  32. Hold the phone an inch away? by gumpish · · Score: 1

    The manual for my rather crappy new Sprint/Nokia 3585i states that if you are concerned about microwave emissions, holding the phone an inch away from your head (rather than mashing it into your ear) would result in virtually nil radiation reaching you.

    Malarkey? Or effective way?

    1. Re:Hold the phone an inch away? by bash_jeremy · · Score: 1

      That's not entirely correct. You would have to hold the phone 1-2 feet away for there to be little or no radiation.

    2. Re:Hold the phone an inch away? by smart.id · · Score: 1

      That is also wrong, as this "radiation" (whatever little there is) is also going to your hand no matter where you hold it. Therefore I propose that all cell phone users now wear lead full body suits in order to prevent cell mutation.

      --
      blog & fiction: jd87
    3. Re:Hold the phone an inch away? by bash_jeremy · · Score: 1

      I meant your head would be safe.

  33. Control Group by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

    In a word "Amish", those people don't use anything that has been invented in the last 100 years.

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  34. monitors? by gregeth · · Score: 1

    While we're at it, it should also be mentioned about monitors.

    Sure, many of us don't use cell phones much, but how often do /.ers sit in front of the computer screen! We'll probably soon start wearing something like this

  35. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
    As you will surely know the electro-magnetic waves used for cell phone communication are just the same a radioactive waves used in nuclear power plants, they just operate at a different frequency and energy. However energy adds up over the long time

    Despite your sig, you are apparently an idiot. Gamma radiation is ionizing radiation. RF radiation, which lives all the way on the other side of the spectrum, with visible light radiation in between, is non-ionizing radiation. If you don't know the difference, you have no business pontificating on the subject. And what's with the "energy adds up" thing? Are you trying to say that damage is cumulative? Even assuming that english is not your first language, this doesn't explain your total lack of understanding of the principles involved. Get behind me, troll, get behind me!

    --
    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  36. Shock News! by NickFitz · · Score: 1

    Ageing professor calls teenagers "dumb"!

    In other news: the sun rose this morning.

    --
    Using HTML in email is like putting sound effects on your phone calls. Just say <strong>no</strong>.
  37. Wonder what this will do for workers Comp (US) by SolemnDragon · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I'm thinking particularly of all those jobs that now issue a company phone as standard equipment, and what would happen if they could be conclusively shown to do harm. Sure, the legislation is attempting to pass asbestos reform, which is aimed not merely at asbestos tort cases, but also at class action suits... With asbestos, the lawsuits went after the companies who made it, and then when those went bankrupt, the companies which used it. It has gotten so out of hand that the suits are going after factories which had buildings in which it was used, but the workers suing didn't work in those, they oworked in plants that had none- and are suing over being scared, ten years into retirement, that they might have been exposed to it.

    So what happens when the entire country has a good case that they've been unwillingly (in some cases) exposed to dangerous radiation, and 'deceived' into using a dangerous device? (There's wisdom in the adage that says that if you don't know how dangerous new technology is, a little prudence- how does it go? Oh, right- something about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure...)

    Well, it's simple, unfortunately. Since those suits would bankrupt the nation (except for the lawyers), regardless of how justified some of the suits might be, most people are going to find that they

    a.) have been banned from suing by 'reformative' legislation,

    b.) have already been represented in an 'opt-out' class lawsuit that they may have known nothing about and may not be able to collect from, or can collect a five-dollar coupon from, or

    c.) are told by the courts that they had the choice to not use the technology, and vote at a town meeting about whether to put the tower up.

    On the other hand, they would still have to change the technology. And does anyone remember the big stir about police officers getting testicular cancer from holding the early radar guns on their lap while they waited at speed traps? while i wouldn't say that anyone 'deserves' to have it, i would say that there are times when illnesses can be a bit... ironic. Like if the tumours from cell phone use tend to take out the speech center...

  38. And you can make your own tinfoil hat by computerlady · · Score: 1

    Here's a good "how to" page.

    --
    computerlady - a brand new Slash-daughter - alone, but no longer invisible, in the /. world
  39. Limit your exposure by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

    I don't know if exposure to cell phone radiation is dangerous or not, but while the pointy heads are studying the issue it's probably not a bad idea to:

    1. Only use your mobile for outgoing calls and emergencies.

    2. Try not to live or work in buildings containing base station antennas (I'm amazed at the prevalence of these).

    3. Never use a phone in a car, not even with speakerphone or headset.

    1. Re:Limit your exposure by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah, and turn off your phone in the theater! That'll kill you faster than any of the above.

    2. Re:Limit your exposure by TimeForGuinness · · Score: 1
      Only use your mobile for outgoing calls and emergencies.

      ...actually when you place an outgoing call, that is when the risk of radiation is at its highest. When someone is talking to you on your cell phone, the signal from the base station has undergone shadowing, multipath, scattering, and fading(if you are moving). The received signal at your phone can be very small. When the user of the cell phone speaks, the phone has to transmit to a base station. Therefore, the RF front end on the phone has to boost the signal power so the base station can receive the signal.

  40. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
    A high IQ is obviously no help in solving problems.

    The energy from a base station is limited to around 100W IF ALL CHANNELS ARE AT MAXIMUM POWER. This is a highly improbable senario. Typical power, AS MEASURED IN REAL LIFE is about 0.1W. Since microwaves are similar to those from a bar fire - the effect on a bystander is approx 1/1000 that of a bar fire at a similar distance. Think of how close you normally sit to a bar fire in winter. (assuming you live in a country which has winter - if not, the sun definitely delivers more power at the same wavelength for much of the day.)

    --
    Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  41. Cell Phones are Nothing. by Enonu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's my bet that the sun, you know, that big ball in the sky that emits so much radiation that it can heat an entire planet, burn you in less than 30 minutes, and make you go blind if you look at it for too long, has so much more of an effect on our bodies that any longterm study on the dangers of cell phones will prove pointless.

    Besides, any type of reasonable fear of cell phone radiation is only logical after you've quit drinking, smoking, lost your extra weight, and started a low stress level lifestyle.

  42. Control Group? No problem by DeafScribe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just check on deaf folks. I don't know many who use cell phones. All this talk about third world countries being a haven for control groups is absurd; their adoption rate for cellular telephony is incredible. What you will find in the deaf community is a lot of users with Blackberries and, more recently, Danger Hiptops. If you start seeing tumors sprouting among deaf folks at the waistband, you with the cell phones better get your heads checked.

  43. New Scientist by Mike+McTernan · · Score: 1

    The 13 September 2003 issue of New Scientist has a special report on this topic:

    Special Report
    No one has yet proved that cellphones are bad for you. Is it time to give up on the hunt for potential dangers? p.12

    Unfortunately it isn't online (yet?). The interesting point from the article (I got it in paper form) is that the WHO is going to stop researching into the health effects of mobile phone use in another ~3 years unless a link is discovered; the article says that they have many other things that could do with the research funding, and the lack of credible or reproducable evidence so far is perhaps evidence in itself?

    --
    -- Mike
  44. that's because by bsDaemon · · Score: 1

    the other half are chicks!

  45. A link to the full study by TimFreeman · · Score: 1
    Google for "Leif Salford" leads to this URL for the paper:
    http://www.elektro smognews.de/salfordjan2003.pdf
    No referees are mentioned in the acknowledgements section.

    You'd think there would be enough data on humans by now to show practical consequences, if there are any. I would expect reducing the brains "reserve capacity" to reduce scores on some cognitive test.

    The radiation came from a real cellphone, except for a modification to the antenna that provided controllable radiation levels for the rats.

    I would like to understand their experimental setup better. I suspect the antenna in their experimental setup might be much larger than the antenna on a real cell phone. I don't know if that matters. I don't know how realistic their power levels are. I bet the phone dissipates more power if you hook it to a larger antenna; I hope they got their power estimates by measuring the intensity of the radiation, instead of by consulting the manual for the telephone (which surely assumed a smaller antenna).

  46. You Make The Call, From Alternative Medicine Mag. by usurper_ii · · Score: 1

    To view this article from the source, go to http://www.alternativemedicine.com/ and search
    for cell phone. The name of the article is "You
    Make The Call." -- Usurper_ii

    -=-=-=-=

    Alternative Medicine

    ON THE EDGE
    With Burton Goldberg

    You make the call

    Studies show that people who don't think cell phones have adverse health effects need to have their heads examined.

    Cell phones are not just here to stay. They have evolved into ever more versatile and powerful devices and have become indispensable to our way of life. Why, then, can't we make these technological marvels safe?

    Of course, according to the cell phone industry, cell phones are perfectly harmless: "After a substantial amount of research, scientists and governments around the world continue to reaffirm that there is no public health threat from the use of wireless phones," says Tom Wheeler, president and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA).

    According to numerous prominent researchers, that statement is nonsense. Henry Lai, Ph.D., is a research professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington. Over the last several years he has conducted cell phone studies funded originally by the U.S. Navy and Air Force and later by the National Institutes of Health. "I have a list of about 600 research papers from the past ten years alone, 70 percent of which show definite effects from exposure to this kind of radiation," says Lai, "but the industry continues to say that there is nothing to worry about."

    What about cell phones and cancer, the most publicized concern? "Studies have been conducted to determine whether there is an association between cellular telephone use and an increased risk of certain types of cancer," according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). "Although the majority of these studies have not supported any such association, scientists caution that more research needs to be done before conclusions can be drawn about the risk of cancer from cellular telephones."

    "More research" is the mantra of all three groups - industry, government and scientists - each with their differing motives. And, in fact, more research is needed - but not to prove that cell phones do pose a health threat: That has been proven beyond any doubt. Swedish researcher Clas Tegenfeld, who is writing a book on biological effects of electromagnetic fields, says "Already there are at least 15,000 scientific reports on the subject. I am afraid the truth is that we don't want to know."

    There have, in fact, been several studies that show no correlation between cell phone use and cancer. These studies were conducted by respected institutions and researchers and the results published in peer-reviewed journals. However, these were all simple statistical studies that compared the incidence of brain cancer among cell phone users to that of the general population. Typical of these studies is an oft-cited one from Sweden that was published in the July 1999 issue of the International Journal of Oncology. According to the NCI, "This study compared cellular telephone use in a group of 209 individuals who had brain tumors (the case group) with a group of 425 people without brain cancer (the control group). The study reported a statistically nonsignificant increased risk for brain tumors on the side of the head on which the cellular telephone was used. However, researchers found no overall increase in the risk for brain tumors with cellular telephone use."

    Does this prove that cell phone use does not lead to increased risk of brain cancer? No. As the NCI itself points out, "Cancers that take a long time to develop would not have been detected by these studies." What has been shown in numerous studies, however, is that the radiation coming from cell phones does have measurable effects on brain cells that can lead to cancer, as well as neurological diseases.

    Lai's experiments are instructive in this regard. One of his main findings was that radiation

  47. so... by YllabianBitPipe · · Score: 1

    Now I'm paranoid. Any research being done on WiFi lap tops ... ? Them being "lap tops" I'm wondering if any particular "manly" parts of my body have been microwaved beyond functionality.

  48. "Can you hear me now?" by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    "No, because my brain is cooked."

  49. I'm still wondering by yuda · · Score: 1

    what 6+ hrs a day of staring at a computer screen is going to do to my brain especially those old mono screens

  50. 802.11b in a classroom is more likely a problem by Multics · · Score: 1
    We're here in the vast US midwest in a land grant school. We have huge classrooms and a pending tablet program that will put 200-700 tablets in the same space.

    So let's look at numbers:

    300 xmitters * 50mw = 15w

    In my book, 15w in the microwave bands, is enough to cause problems in your eyes or lenses of your eyes which have little ability to dump heat.

    The FCC's power limit commentary formed through National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 yielded this RF Guidelines which makes for very good reading compared to the /. stream on this article.

    -- Multics

  51. Quality not quantity by StrawberryFrog · · Score: 1

    No offence, but you might be on the wrong track. Quality not quantity. This article talks particularly about microwave radiation. Do you know how much of that the sun puts out, and how much makes it down to sea level? Neither no I. You got any data for your statements?

    Then point being, if in our evolutionary history, we were not exposed to these levels of this kind of invisible light, then it is entirely possible that it can damage us in ways that we have no defences against.

    --

    My Karma: ran over your Dogma
    StrawberryFrog

  52. Sea of Microwaves? by jazir1979 · · Score: 1


    With a Sea of Microwaves floating around, I'm worried one of them will hit me in the head. They are bloody heavy y'know!

    Oh well at least we can capture them and cook instant popcorn whenever we like.

    --
    What's your GCNSEQNO?
  53. Good grief, will people stop worrying about this? by forkboy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Microwave and radio frequency radiation are not going to give you cancer. They are not of sufficient energy to be considered ionizing radiation. To actually break a chemical bond in a cell(a necessary step for formation of cancer at the cellular level) requires energy greater than what is contained in microwave or radio wavelengths. Ultraviolet radiation is where sufficient energy begins, with it being a minor threat. The worst is of course gamma radiation which carries the most energy of the spectrum.

    At a cellular level, cancerous cells are developed when an electron-deficient material bonds with free electrons on nitrogen atoms in DNA. Then when the DNA replicates on cell division, a mutation is formed. If the immune system cannot detect and destroy the rogue cell, it may be able to replicate on its own, depending on how badly the DNA is damaged. This replication is what we call cancer.

    Ionizing radiation creates positive ions and free radicals in the cells that can react as mentioned above. High energy radiation like x-rays and gamma rays can also penetrate past the skin and react with organs further in the body. (UV cannot, this is why skin cancer is about the only kind you can get from solar radiation) Organ cells reproduce quite more frequently as well, which makes them more susceptible to mutation. Radiation such as microwaves, radio waves, visible light, and the like will not break chemical bonds and hence cannot cause cellular mutations.

    Microwaves DO have the ability to vibrate the bonds of polar molecules (such as water) causing them to heat up. This is how your microwave oven works...water in your food is heated which inductively heats your food. Excessive heat can cause proteins to denature (i.e. cook) but will not break them into ions or free radicals.

    There's your lesson in cellular biology, chemistry, and eletromagnetic physics. Now quit worrying about your cell phone or microwave giving you cancer.

    --
    This message brought to you by the Council of People Who Are Sick of Seeing More People.
  54. My new invertion by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

    I have a new invention the lead body condom. It will shield you from those nasty microwaves all those cell phones put out. The only draw backs are it's kind of hard to move around in it's a hassle when you have to hang a piss but we are working on those.

    --
    As you can see I don't care about my karma.
  55. UHF TV towers by hpa · · Score: 2, Informative

    ... have been around for many decades, and are spewing *mega*watts of signals in the same general frequency range as cell phones for all that time.

    This would have much, much more health effects for those living nearby than all the microwaves we're "drowning" in ever will. To the best of my knowledge, it's zip.

  56. I would not worry. by nologin · · Score: 1
    The amount of energy released by a cell phone is far less significant than many other sources of electromagnetic energy that we are constantly exposed to.

    In case you forget, the electromagnetic spectrum consists of the following (in increasing amounts of energy).

    • Radio waves
    • Microwaves
    • Infrared
    • Visible Light
    • Ultraviolet
    • X-rays
    • Gamma rays

    Electromagnetic radiation only does damage to biological matter when the energy contained with a photon is equal or greater than the energy involved in a chemical bond of any molecule within a cell. When any radiation meets this criteria, it is also known as ionizing radiation.

    It is only within the ultraviolet range or greater where electromagnetic waves becoming ionizing.

    In other words, your household light bulb produces far more energy than a cell phone. Personally, I would be far more concerned from overexposure to sunlight, as the degradation of the ozone layer is letting in more ultraviolet radiation than that present approximately 10-15 years ago.

  57. In perspective.... by Mulletproof · · Score: 1

    But it ain't go nothin on the electron beam staring you right in the face at this very moment. How far way from that are you again?

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
  58. Re:we're all doomed by mudshark · · Score: 1

    Widespread agricultural use of organochlorine pesticides began in the 1940s. Organochlorines (e.g. DDT) tend to concentrate in the fatty tissues of warm-blooded creatures that ingest them. Go higher up the food chain and look for fatty tissue...connect the dots.... ( o )( o )

    --
    In other news, astrophysicists have announced that they now know what all that dark matter is: it's stupidity.
  59. Of course we have a control group.... by B747SP · · Score: 1
    Given how widespread mobile phone use has become, will we even have an adequate control group 50 years from now to gauge what the effects have been?

    The research will demonstrate conclusively that not using a mobile telephone gives you a red neck.

    --
    I find your ideas intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
  60. Reality Check by blueandwhiteg3 · · Score: 1

    Cell phones and all that kind of stuff creating harmful "waves" and similar statements, both scientific and not, are a really great way to get people going. But let's be real about this. Here are a few things to think about when you read articles like this:

    -Electromagnetic waves are everywhere and always have been, the sun itself puts off all kinds of electromagnetic radiation - visible light, UV rays (known to cause cancer), infrared light, and even some interesting radio waves. All things considered, you are getting well into the 1,500 watts per square meter of energy coming at you from the sun in full sunlight.

    -Microwaves have been around for years, yet nobody is worrying about them. They have the potential to put off a thousand watts of 2.4 GHz radio waves, which isn't far the from 1.9 GHz frequency many cell phones use.

    -Modern cell phones fight to put off as little energy as possible - for battery life maximization and interference reduction purposes. All of them emit less than 1 watt, often in the dozens or low hundreds of milliwatts and sometimes even zero if you aren't speaking.

    -Home cordless phones often emit way, way more energy than cell phones, yet nobody worries about them. I've seen 900 MHz phones do 2 watts, continuously - and this is in the same frequency range as many cell phones run. Typical people talk more on their cordless phones than their cell phones, although this is changing.

    -Phones aren't the only thing that emits electromagnetic waves - CRTs emit lots of interesting types of electromagnetic radiation, radio/TV stations frequently broadcast into the hundreds of thousands of watts. And that's just a few things.

    So there aren't these massive problems caused by all these forms of electromagnetic radiation. It's worth, however, considering that there are some very interesting and extremely subtle reactions between biological processes and electromagnetic energy, but nothing that's proven to be a problem - yet. I think we should be doing massive studies of electromagnetism and biological organisms (perhaps similar to the massive medical studies, and in a similar format), but, for gosh sake, STOP targeting cell phones. There are SO many other things that create SO much more radiation and are certainly much more likely to cause problems if you spend a few minutes to think about it and have a few facts in front of you.

    OK, now I feel better. I've been wanting to talk about this for a while. Hope this informs a few readers of reality with all these various cell-phone-electromagnetism-kills style hype.

  61. A bit of irony... by Deven · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it struck me as somewhat ironic that this story came up with a Sprint ad for "advanced wireless devices". :-)

    --

    Deven

    "Simple things should be simple, and complex things should be possible." - Alan Kay

  62. Re:the early 50's, by Technician · · Score: 2, Informative

    In the early 50's, Radio was just getting into VHF. Very little stuff used UHF except for some television. I don't think any of the tests were done on the 800, 900Mhz and gigahertz bands. Other than Radar, there just wasn't much in the Gigahertz bands. I don't think a VHF 160 MHZ or UHF 460 MHZ police radio has the same heating as a microwave PCS phone of the same power to organic tissue.

    Do you know what frequency was tested? Was it HF (3-30 MHZ), VHF (30-300 MHZ) or any UHF? I don't think they had any reason to test microwave frequencies. That was strictly Radar and not communication equipment that anybody would carry with them.

    --
    The truth shall set you free!
  63. unless... by MickLinux · · Score: 1

    ... there is something to the blood-brain barrier leakage that keeps getting mentioned in these news articles. Of course, we won't know, if the research doesn't get done.

    --
    Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
  64. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by Kunta+Kinte · · Score: 1
    Secondly, visible light is electromagnetic rays. Think about how much of that you absorb in an average day. Augghhhh, the light!! The horrible light! Won't someone think of the children?

    Moot point.

    It is true light is EM radiation, just as the frequency range cells use, microwave ovens use etc.

    But we know that some frequencies are bad for us humans. More specifically the higher freq. above some threshold. We just don't have conclusive evidence what that thresold is.

    Many studies, quite a few of them funded by the cell phone industry, insist they do know, and that cell phones are ok.

    Personally I agree that more independent work should be done in this area.

    --
    Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
  65. Cell phones very popular among deaf children by Per+Abrahamsen · · Score: 1

    Basically, because SMS has become such a huge hit among European children, deaf children have become much more integrated in the social life of their peers. They can SMS on equal basis. Whatever else cell phones may do, they have made life a lot brighter for a generation of deaf kids.

    Various alarm agancies (the people behind 112, the European 911) have also created numbers where you can SMS alarms, especially for deaf people.

  66. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by s20451 · · Score: 2

    But we know that some frequencies are bad for us humans. More specifically the higher freq. above some threshold.

    Correct, X rays and Gamma rays with very high frequencies are known to be ionizing, and hence harmful. However, microwaves and cell phone channels have very low frequencies, far lower than visible light. About the only effect these frequencies can have is heating of tissue. After inconclusive study after inconclusive study, I think quite enough has been done on the question of whether cell phones cause cancer.

    However, I will be closely following work related to the current article.

    --
    Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
  67. Common, dangerous misconception. by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1
    This is an old, if not the first, argument in defense against those who claim Cell phone EM to be a health hazzard. That of "Non-Ionizing radiation causes no physical harm."

    The problem is not entirely one of cell damage or destruction due to powerful EM. The problem is that cells, particularly those of the nervous system are able/designed to react to vanishingly small quantities of EM signal. --People argue that Sunlight puts out more radiation than a cell phone. True, but cell phones modulate their signal on frequencies which are close to or within the range that the brain is most susceptible.

    There are demonstrated mechanics (Cyclotronic Resonance) through which non-ionizing radiation can deliver a signal to a cell. --I have posted a page regarding this which goes into that process in finer detail.

    Everything from accelerated tumor growth to narcotic effect in subjects has been very clearly demonstrated to result directly from low-power modulated EM radiation.

    It is important to note that, with a few exceptions, it's often not any single vector through which the 'civilized' human is subjugated. However, when one adds up the dozens of draining and damaging methods and poisons and such which have been inflicted upon us, one begins to understand why the phrase, "Knowledge protects, Ignorance endangers," makes a lot of sense.


    -FL

  68. Common misconception by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1
    This is an old, if not the first, argument in defense against those who claim Cell phone EM to be a health hazzard. That of "Non-Ionizing radiation causes no physical harm."

    The problem is not entirely one of cell damage or destruction due to powerful EM. The problem is that cells, particularly those of the nervous system are able/designed to react to vanishingly small quantities of EM signal. --People argue that Sunlight puts out more radiation than a cell phone. True, but cell phones modulate their signal on frequencies which are close to or within the range that the brain is most susceptible.

    There are demonstrated mechanics (Cyclotronic Resonance) through which non-ionizing radiation can deliver a signal to a cell. --I have posted a page regarding this which goes into that process in finer detail.

    Everything from accelerated tumor growth to narcotic effect in subjects has been very clearly demonstrated to result directly from low-power modulated EM radiation.

    It is important to note that, with a few exceptions, it's often not any single vector through which the 'civilized' human is subjugated. However, when one adds up the dozens of draining and damaging methods and poisons and such which have been inflicted upon us, one begins to understand why the phrase, "Knowledge protects, Ignorance endangers," makes a lot of sense.


    -FL

  69. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by Kunta+Kinte · · Score: 1
    However, microwaves and cell phone channels have very low frequencies, far lower than visible light.

    I believe microwave radiation used for communication utilizes a much higher frequency than visible light.

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  70. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by s20451 · · Score: 1

    That is not correct. The frequency spectrum looks like:

    AM/FM/TV (lowest)
    Microwave/cell
    Infrared
    Visible
    Ultra violet
    X Rays
    Gamma rays (highest)

    See also this page.

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  71. Re:This is like nuclear power plants. by Kunta+Kinte · · Score: 1

    thanks for pointing that out, you're right. you're right.

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