Death by iPhone?
Admittedly, I find Maureen Dowd as useless as Christine O’Donnell. Her column today, “Are Cells the New Cigarettes”, begs the question, Is Dowd the new David Broder?
I’ll skip all of Dowd’s references to bad science, but the one item she stumbles upon I found quite interesting. As San Francisco was debating whether or not to force cell phone sellers do display radiation levels, CTIA — The Wireless Association, threatened to pull their convention out of San Francisco if the billed passed. Well, the bill passed and CTIA did pull out. As Mayor Newsom said:
“Since our bill is relatively benign, it begs the question, why did they work so hard and spend so much money to kill it? I’ve become more fearful, not less, because of their reaction. It’s like BP. Shouldn’t they be doing whatever it takes to protect their global shareholders?”
Big business really don’t know how to roll.
Tags: cell phones
I remember from my Washington days that CTIA was regarded as a lobbying powerhouse. I think Gerald Ford’s Chief of Staff was their first President & CEO.
And I agree. It is ironic that under our system companies are incentivized to pay hundreds of millions into trade associations in order to protect unsavory business practices, rather than paying in hundreds of millions of dollars into cleaning up their unsavory business practices.
Great…junk science meets new legislation, and you wonder why an industry bails? Bottom line is bottom line, and if another city can be hospitable w/o changing legislation requiring more of a vendor, who wouldn’t walk…..and w/ a cell to the ear….quickly booking elsewhere. I think I’ll wait for the CREDIBLE MEDICAL community to demand a furthering of the radiation connection…and leave the others on call waiting. Some folks do have a business to run.
“I think I’ll wait for the CREDIBLE MEDICAL community to demand a furthering of the radiation connection”
Would that happen before or after that community follows up on complaints about pediatricians molesting their patients? Since most doctors (or medical researchers, either) don’t spend hours daily on their cell phones, I’m guessing the devices will be obsolete before they give a crap about it.
My Electical Engineering brother, Walt, says that there is no doubt that many cell phones on the market are likely to cause tumors. It is a very good idea to force the industry to give consumers the information on the product.
Given the say 20 years now cell phones have been around now Geez–I think we’d have a much stronger corollary than just a demand from San Francisco. Can’t say I’m aware of any increased brain tumors/ear abberations as already having been researched in journals etc.. But hey–20 years may not be enough for those mutant changes–so I guess we’ll just have to give it a little more time.
And to make way using the Bradley case, is just incongruent. Good science and good conscience may be worlds apart at times. Sorry, you seem to have confused the two here.
Sorry, but I was trying to highlight the folly of depending on the medical establishment alone for anything. Approximately one minute of research turned up this:
While studies generally have shown no link between cell phones and brain cancer, there is some conflicting scientific evidence that may be worth additional study, according to FDA. (See “Studies”). The FDA says on their website that they are closely following ongoing research into whether there might be any association between cell phones and cancer.
In other words, calling it “junk science” is just as much a rush to judgment as the knee-jerk reaction of the city of San Francisco.
Here’s the web site, which links to a number of studies: http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/cellphonecancer.php
Duly noted Geezer–and the FDA still follows saccharin and flouride use also. It’s their job to keep an eye on all devices, and intake of our citizenry. I don’t think they have ever fully “signed off” on anything. They are there to monitor abberrrencies. San Francisco sensationalized a situation–and I don’t blame the wireless folks for saying “hey we don’t need this grandstanding, on our dime”. Poor play. Oh well, there’s always next year.
A lot of studies that have concluded that there’s no danger have been funded by the wireless industry.
http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation
GQ isn’t exactly a scientific journal, but its an interesting read nonetheless.
Eh, fluoride added to the water was a mistake that has gone on so long they are afraid to take it back. Hexafluorosilicic acid is the most common fluoride compound used, and take a look at its label.
Hexafluorosilicic acid
The truth is that doing epidemiological studies like these take time and are very difficult. It’s just hard studying cause and effect in people because humans have a variety of risk factors and it’s hard to tease out which factor is the most important. That’s why epidemiological studies take so long – you need a lot of subjects.
I’m not very read up on the link of brain cancer and cell phones. I’ve heard compelling anecdotes but no definitive studies. BTW, people have linked electric fields and cancer for a long time. So far, they haven’t been found to be a risk factor.
Phil: As “they” say, the dose makes the poison. As “they” also say, a little learning is a dangerous thing.
For anyone interested in the subject, Wikipedia has a long and interesting entry on the entire subject of water fluoridation. Nowhere does it include the notion that it was a “mistake.”
Amen Geezer–and water flouridation is the ONE and ONLY additive to EVER enjoy the distinction of being signed off on by every government department–from agriculture to nuclear waste commissions.
But again, there’s always that one state just holding on to a subversive Commie plot. And that’s their right. As a public health program, water flouridation has been touted as the most successful preventive endeavor on behalf of childrens’ health than any program to date–because of it’s ubiquitous reach.