Discussion Renews on Risks of Cell Phone Use

If you read the back of cereal boxes, watch TV and look at advertisements in Time magazine, you’re probably getting the message (as I am) that everything in life can cause cancer, but at the same time nearly everything in life can reduce the risk of cancer. On and on and “so they say.” But eager as a producer may be to sell a health product, cancer is no laughing matter, and we want facts, not marketing blather.

That’s why more than just the medical pros are going to be talking about cancer today. Today, a special senate hearing will begin to explore the issue. The specific topic at hand considers the cancer risks of cell phone use. The question has often been raised in the past: do cell phones increase risk of cancer?

Nothing conclusive has enjoyed consensus, professionally or popularly. Studies have been conducted and ‘conclusions’ have been published, but no agreement has been found. One major study has been hacking away at the issue for over ten years, and, though a yes/no answer hasn’t been forthcoming, some of the evidence hints at a cancer-cell phone link that is unsettling at the very least.

But so far, the masses are not abandoning cell phones. And with good reason. They are backed by a large community of scientists, researchers, and specialists who say “no problem.” The ‘no problem’ crowd does not see a connection between cancer and cell phone usage, and encourages the concern-free attitude toward technology that characterizes most of the population. Dr. Richard Besser, ABC New’s on-staff medical guru speaks for this group when he says, “the best science doesn’t show a link between cell phone use and cancer of any kind. No link whatsoever.” The government-backed FDA makes the same claim.

But there is middle ground between the ‘no problem’ crowd and the ‘very concerned’ crowd that simply states that we need more research. As the Senate hearing committee meets to discuss the issue, they will probably borrow from the findings of an international conference that meets this week to discuss the same issue.

The concern all begins with radiation. Radiation comes from multiple sources. Nobody goes through life without experiencing radiation. The concern over cell phones has to do with the level of radiation that they emit, and where that location is being directed. Different cell phones release differing amounts of radiation. But invariably, cell phone radiation goes to the head since that is where most people hold their cell phones. The risk increases for children whose thinner skulls render them more susceptible to radiation rays.

Although no one is expecting a final resolution at the end of today’s hearing committee, we may at least be one step closer to addressing a potential problem that affects nearly everyone in our nation.

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