How soon until this hits Ottawa?


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/12/cellphones-kids.html?ref=rss

People don't even need anyone to tell them to worry about cell phones. They just assume they're dangerous for some reason. WIthout any reason to fear them I always hear people say things like "This thing is nuking my brain, I'm sure in 20 years everyone will have brain cancer and we'll think we were stupid for using these things." or "I can't believe people just leave these things against their junk. We're working our way to a Children of Men society by doing this."

The fact that there's now a legitimate source pushing forth this kind of stuff... well... I'm just glad people are more into their cell phones than they are drinking from Nalgene.

I wonder where this could go. Since no one's about to stop using their phone, I would imagine the next natural step would be people using fake science to market a brain safe cell phone. It doesn't need to be too complicated. For example, if the fear is from the radio waves emitted from the phone, you simply have the transmitter on the backside of the phone, with some sort of insulating material between it and the ear piece. I can just picture it now...

"The new Nokia 980 Green uses patented technology to force potentially harmful radio waves away from you while shielding you from the more harmful wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum."

I want people to suggest using tin foil to protect against it. I just love when people suggest using tin foil, because making people realise they're a step away from a tin foil hat to stop someone from reading their mind is fairly satisfying to me.

aDam wrote:

QUOTE:
Since no one's about to stop using their phone, I would imagine the next natural step would be people using fake science to market a brain safe cell phone...

...and cell phone add-ons:

Chi Waveguard
Waveshield
aulterra neutralizer
safe cell tab
aegisguard
biopro cell chip
ferrite sleeve

As for the article: Despite the headline which says "panic" the text gets it right by saying "the best information available continues to say that there is no risk"

Steven Novella addressed this on his blog.

It's not so cut and dry apparently, but it's probably safe.

There are aspects of this story that get my radar beeping. It seems like a perfect juncture of moral panic (i.e., kids shouldn't have cell phones or violent video games or horror comics in my era) and environmental extremism (i.e., RF from cell phones or high voltage transmission lines will give you cancer). It's a jump to go from "Studies are negative so far. Long-term studies are a good idea. But you might want to get you kids to reduce usage." to the CBC headline "Cellphone use potentially risky for kids, teens." I can just see a panicky parent denying their kid a cellphone when, in fact, texting or using a Bluetooth earpiece mitigates any potential risk. It's also like the BPA story. An unusual pattern of overexposure for children is probably not wise, but the next cell call, just like the next bottle of water, is not going to kill them. By all means, be prudent, but hopefully this will not be the next anti-vax campaign.

Other resources:

Toronto Public Health - Children and Safe Cell Phone Use

Health Canada - Safety and Safe Use of Cellular Phones

WHO - Electromagnetic fields and public health: mobile telephones and their base stations

Pat wrote:

QUOTE:
...and cell phone add-ons:

Wow... just wow... I'm half tempted to give up this Skepticism thing and put my efforts towards the exploitation of human ignorance. I wonder how many of these scammers believe the crap they peddle, and how many of them are just vultures.

I wish people would start going the other way and believing that all these inconclusive things caused super power causing mutations. You'd see people operating faulty microwaves, parking their microbuses next to power converters, and bathing in PCBs.

aDam. I think you are on to something. What say you and I go into business?

"Quantum Physics teaches us about action at a distance. The QuantChiShield uses the holistic and natural shielding powers of the tin foil already in your kitchen drawer..."

The active ingredient uses a patented technology to protect everything but your wallets!

So that you don't waste your money, remember that if you are already wearing your foil cap to stop the government satellites from reading your thoughts, you are probably protected enough from cellphone RF to not bother with the add-ons.

And of course the lead lined cup which I use to stop the Government perverts from measuring the size of my penis will help protect me from sterilization from my cell phone.

aDam wrote:

QUOTE:
And of course the lead lined cup which I use to stop the Government perverts from measuring the size of my penis will help protect me from sterilization from my cell phone.

Speaking as a Government Pervert, the Cup does still give us an upper limit on that, you know!

Just to continue this off-topic tangent, I am reminded of a famous Johnny Carson bit in which he was holding a news photo of a streaker at a soccer game whose privates were being covered by a British bobby using his bowler helmet. Johnny joked that the photo caption could be "a hat-full of Harry". You had to be there.