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  • Head of prominent cancer research institute issues cell-phone warning

    The age-old debate over whether cell phones cause cancer has reared its ugly head again as Dr. Robert Herberman, director of the prominent University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued an unusual warning to some 3,000 faculty and staff, urging them to limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning is contrary to several studies that have said no link exists between the two, but Herberman said he is raising the alarm because of early unpublished data, and it takes too long to obtain answers from science and believes people should act now, especially children. "Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman told the AP. No other major academic cancer research institutions have issued such a warning. For more: - read AP Related story: Researchers disagree over cell phone safety findings. Cancer research story

  • Toronto's public health department recommends kids limit mobile use

    Filed under: Studies In case it wasn't already obvious that kids under the age of eight should be using cellphones strictly for emergencies, here's another reason: Toronto's public health department says so. In what might be a first in all of Canada, the agency is officially laying down recommendations that tykes be restricted to emergency calls and teens talk on their phones for no more than ten minutes at a time (good luck with that one) due to growing evidence that prolonged use could lead to brain tumors and other health-related unpleasantness later in life. Moving up the governmental food chain, Health Canada still officially recommends no restrictions, so the endless confusion over cellphone safety continues as usual. [Thanks, Thierry ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, you're better off smoking edition

    Filed under: Culture , Misc You've heard just how dangerous holding that cellphone upside your noggin is, but this time, the research is really for real . Reportedly, an award-winning cancer expert (Dr. Vini Khurana) has concluded that mobile phones -- in the long run -- could end up killing far more Earthlings than smoking or asbestos ever could. As we've heard countless times before, this fellow is warning that heavy mobile users could end up with brain tumors that threaten their livelihood, and feels that a direct link between handset use and certain tumors will be "definitively proven" in the next decade. Additionally, he suggests that individuals avoid using the cancer generators whenever possible, and that governments and the mobile industry at large take "immediate steps" to reduce radiation exposure. You won't be laughing if he's right. [Via Digital Lifestyles ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, hodgepodge edition

    Filed under: Misc Lest the danger (or non-danger) of cellphone use stray too far from your mind, here's a trio of recent studies to get the juices flowing again. First, the best news: an Australian researcher has come up with a five-point ranking system to lay out the likelihood of getting cancer from partaking in various substances and activities, and if that system has any basis in reality, cellphones are "unlikely" to cause cancer -- so take it for what you will. The second study, thrown down by the Cleveland Clinic, showed a significant decrease in sperm "quality" (as determined by a number of stats) as average daily cellphone usage increased; not necessarily a short-term problem for the users themselves, but a finding their future children (or lack thereof) might take issue with. The third study brings more bad news, showing that human skin exposed to cellphone radiation altered the cells' protein expression, a potential (though by no means definitive) precursor to cancer. As always, your mileage -- and your body's mileage -- may vary. [Via textually.org ] Read - "Cell Phones No Cancer Risk, Study Says" Read - "Effect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic: an observational study" [Warning: PDF link] Read - "Mobile phone radiation might alter protein expression in human skin" Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  • Tablet and Touch Technology Helping to Focus on Chemotherapy Side Effects

    I love seeing the results of studies like this, especially when it involves technology helping patients communicate better with their doctors. Based on personal experience, I can see this type of technology feedback being very useful in gleaning information from children who are undergoing chemotherapy and other cancer treatments - getting information out of children can be very difficult, and time is of the utmost importance. Being able to collect that data when problems arise would do wonders in helping the doctor more effectively care for the patient This study also echos what TabletKiosks ' Gail Levy said in her " Talk About Touch " article, and the way medical and other verticals are using touch technology to solve real needs. From Examiner.com In a study published by the Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer, researchers from Thomson Healthcare found that when cancer patients used a handheld computer before office visits to rate and report their pain, fatigue, and depression, doctors were significantly more likely to address these potentially debilitating symptoms and side effects. Thomson Healthcare is part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC ). The three-year study, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, evaluated the PACE System(TM) (Patient Assessment, Care and Education), which uses notebook-sized tablet PCs equipped with touch-screen technology and specialized software. When patients arrived for office visits, they used the handheld computers to complete a self-assessment that automatically uploaded to a wireless network and produced a detailed, real-time report on their symptoms for their doctors. Researchers assessed whether this technology effectively addressed a chronic problem in cancer treatment: chemotherapy side effects often are not reported, diagnosed, or treated because patients lack information about the success of interventions and physicians lack detailed, real-time information on patients' symptoms. "Many...

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, just a hint edition

    Filed under: Studies Researchers across the pond at the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHRP) are without a conclusive answer on the short term effects on the brain from mobile phones. After a six year study on the effects of mobile phones on brain and cell functions, researchers found what's to be described as a hint of a cancer risk when exposed. Does anyone else feel a little nervous with non-scientific words being used to describe negative consequences of something most of us do on a daily basis? Leave a comment if you can break the medical jargon! [Via textually.org ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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  • Mobile phones study links use to cancer - again

    Here we go again. Yet another study finds that there may be a link between cell phone radiation and brain cancer. A new study, published by The Daily Mail , claims that as little as 10 minutes of exposure to radiation from your mobile phone can cause chemical changes in brain cells that can lead to cancer. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have observed that short-term exposure to low-level mobile phone radiation (at 875Mhz - similar to wireless network frequencies) can trigger a chemical switch within the human and rat cells that controls how the cell divides. Until now, the effect of radiation on the brain has been considered from a thermal standpoint - does it heat the brain enough to cause damage? But this new study concentrates on the chemical triggers that have been linked to other cancers and represents a new “non-thermal” link to cancer. Dr. Simon Arthur, a health expert at Dundee University, said the effect was ‘unlikely to cause cancer.” Still, anything that messes with the way a cell divides is worrisome to us - afterall, cancer results from uncontrolled cell division/growth. Pick up a headset, Bluetooth or wired, and use it as much as possible. It may not turn out to cause cancer, but what if it does? Better safe than sorry - really, really sorry. [Via: News.com ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Mobile phones may not cause cancer but may cause hearing lossMobile ad spending to triple in Japan by 2011Qwest Releases Pink Sanyo Handset for Susan G Komen *** Cancer AwarenessiGR: Pre-teen segment shows increasing mobile phone penetrationCell Phone Charm detects harmful UV levels

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, cell division edition

    Filed under: Studies So apparently, virtually all existing official limits for radiation emitted by mobiles (FCC, we're looking at you) are based on the assumption that the dangerous effects of that radiation are caused by heating of the brain. Pretty big assumption, eh? A new study by Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science suggest that some "non-thermal" forces are at play, though, noting that chemicals involved in brain cell division were affected in tests on rats after just 10 minutes of exposure to cellphone radiation. Improper cell division goes hand in hand with cancer, so the finding is a rather alarming one. Of course, you know the drill: for every study that suggests phones are dangerous, we can certainly dredge up one that says they aren't -- just be forewarned that a cool brain isn't necessarily a healthy one. [Via CNET ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, no glioma edition

    Filed under: Handsets , Studies If you are spending a good deal of your day and night fretting about brain cancer and mobile phones, you can rest easy knowing that current thinking (read: by current, we mean for the next 15 minutes when the next study comes out) leans toward cell phones not being associated with glioma, the most common type of brain tumor. The International Journal of Cancer reports that in a study of 1,521 glioma patients and 3,301 controls, 92 percent of glioma patients and 94 percent of controls reported using mobile phones. There is, however, some evidence pointing to increased risk of glioma in people who use cell phones on the same side of their head, though the results were of "borderline statistical significance." So, what can we take from all this? A new study is likely being written as you read this that will contradict these findings, switch up that handset once in a while -- you know, left to right and such, make a game of it -- and if you are really worried, check out a wired headset . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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