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Legislator Wants Cancer Warnings For Cell Phones

Cytalk writes "A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer, although there is no consensus among scientists that they do and industry leaders dispute the claim. The now-ubiquitous devices carry such warnings in some countries, though no US states require them, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. A similar effort is afoot in San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom wants his city to be the nation’s first to require the warnings."

4 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. how about... by kellin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Who gives a flying leap? We're inundated with all sorts of things as we wander around this planet, and I for one think its a bunch of bollocks.

    And really --

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16059841

    If 420k danes dont have cancer from cell phone use, then nobody will.

    --
    GWB to President of Brazil - "You have blacks, too?"
  2. Re:insanity by broken_chaos · · Score: 4, Informative

    no real studies confirm the notion

    Not stopping there, there is at least one major study that shows no significant link between cellphones and cancer -- not just a lack of any confirmation.

    They should keep these sort of 'warning' labels to items that have solid, reproducible evidence of significant increases in risks of cancer -- like cigarettes. If they start slapping them on everything that they (in their position as 'a legislator') think might cause cancer, these sort of warnings will lose all meaning.

  3. Re:Just like California by nsayer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ironically, those LN2 tanks DO present a danger that is worth warning about. But the warning isn't that "nitrogen may be present," obviously. The issue is that a leaky LN2 tank in an enclosed space may wind up making nitrogen the ONLY gas present, which is extremely hazardous. You can pass out without feeling anything abnormal in advance, and then quickly suffocate. Nitrogen asphyxiation has been advocated as an execution method for this very reason, in fact. Two people died in a nitrogen asphyxiation accident at NASA some time ago. The second tried to rescue the first without first understanding what went wrong, and then succumbed himself (if I am remembering the story properly).

  4. Re:Just like California by mjwalshe · · Score: 4, Informative

    And your point is? if it leaked you could get a higher concentratin of O2 and beyond a certain point if you get a spark you get a very nasty fire this is how the Apollo 1 crew died.