Cell Phone Danger

The cell phone industry has been crowing for ages that none of the major health agencies have issued any warnings about their products. That ended yesterday when the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report (actually a review of many studies and reports) warning that cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic" and cautioned about their use. Since we've only had cell phones for about two decades the real long-term dangers are yet to be seen.

There's a reason that San Francisco passed an ordinance requiring all cell phones sold in the city to display the amount of radiation they produce. We probably need to have that made a national law, consider it a kind of truth in packaging.

Children are especially vulnerable to radiation since their bodies are smaller, their skulls are thinner and their brains are still growing. Parents should insist on a wired ear piece for their kids, require that the phone not be near their bed at night and suggest texting instead of talking on the phone (kids prefer it anyway).

Cell phones are one ingredient in what Dr. Martha Grout calls "electrosmog" that threatens our health today. Her new book An Alphabet of Good Health in a sick world covers cell phone radiation and many other useful topics.

Use your cell phone at your own risk!

Airport Scanner Danger

One way to avoid health problems is to stay away from unhealthy environments. Now we can add staying away from airports to the list with their new full-body scanners. In case you think I'm over reacting to the new scanners there is a growing list of scientists speaking up on the issue. Last spring several scientists at the University of California at San Francisco were so worried they sent a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology. A European press story recently quoted Dr. Michael Love at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine saying "They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays."

It reminds me of all the women who were treated for breast cancer decades ago with high doses of radiation which was thought to be safe at the time. They later developed other types of cancer including bone cancer. I know this because I had a sister-in-law later die from her treatment.

While I'm the first one to want safety in our planes this is not the way to do it. The price for being politically correct and scanning everyone is going to be too high down the road.

Radiation Danger

Next time you check into a hotel, or sit next to someone on a bus or plane, you may need to ask yourself if it's safe. Folks being treated for cancer with radioactive iodine or iodine-131 are sometimes kept in the hospital for a few days for safety but many are simply sent home right away. There are reports of hotel room contamination and radioactivity alarms being set off on public transportation according to a congressional investigation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering adopting new rules to protect the public. Their main concern is exposure to children and pregnant women who are most susceptible to radiation.

The treatment is usually used to treat thyroid cancer. In the U.S. about 40,000 people each year develop the disease.