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Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health GQ Magazine
Dr. Howard W. Fisher is on a mission to educate and enlighten the world about the toxic factors that exist in our environment and their direct relationship to our health and how we age. Dr. Fisher is a prominent Canadian Natural Physician, the Director of the Banipur Institute for Medical Science, Director of Green Valley Hospital, and the founder and senior clinician at the Glen Park Clinic. Full ProfileElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR) emitted by Cell Phones, PDA’s, Bluetooth headsets, etc. has been linked to various stress-induced health issues. We subject ourselves to this overbearing external stressor every day.
AIMING FOR RESPONSIBLE TECHNOLOGY
Unlike tobacco, the cell phone has become as indispensable a part of our lives as television and computer. It has enabled us to make a gigantic leap in the way we communicate with one another and has been credited widely with saving people's lives in emergency situations. Cell phones are here to stay, and perhaps rightly so.
The question is not how to stop people from using this ubiquitous device but rather how to make it safer. The first step always is to admit there is a problem, hence the industry and the government have to acknowledge the health risks inherent with the present technology. This way we can all find the proper solutions that we may more enjoy the benefits of its use without sacrificing our health and well being.
HISTORY
In 1993, a man filed a lawsuit against the cell phone industry, claiming that his wife died from a brain tumor caused by her repeated use of the cell phone. The tumor was on the same side of the head where she held her cell phone and was shaped like the cell phone antenna. The case got widespread media attention and was featured in CNN's Larry King Live.
Although the claim was dismissed by the court due to lack of sufficient evidence, it was a public relations nightmare for the wireless industry. It also marked the beginning of the global search for a definitive answer to the question: are cell phones safe or not? Does it cause cancer and other degenerative diseases? Brain cancer is up 25% since cell phones became popular. Every year, there are 183,000 more cases in the US alone. Some health experts say there's a link with cell phone use, but is there proof?
In an effort to defuse the negative publicity from the high-profile lawsuit, the cell phone industry funded a $25 million dollar research program to prove that cell phones are safe. After 6 years of intensive research, however, the results were not what they were looking for. Dr. George Carlo, the chief research scientist of the program, found evidence that cell phones pose some health risks, possibly even cancer.
The first evidence of cancer link that shook the cell phone industry came in 1997. Dr. Michael Repacholi and his colleagues from the Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia reported that long-term exposure to the type of radiation that comes from digital cell phones caused an increase in the occurrence of lymphoma in mice. The study received widespread international media attention because it was the first time that cancer has been linked to the cell phone in a well-conducted study. Back to Top