Of Cell Phones, Radiation and Tumors

Do you remember way back in the early days when some folk were suggesting that cell phones could be bad for your health?  Do you, like myself, remember a very curious case where one man's brain tumor was the size and shape of his old cell phone's antenna?

Well, "experts" have always said that there isn't a health issue or strong correlation between heavy cell phone usage and other issues.  (Bear in mind those studies were also funded by the very organizations that were developing and selling cell phone technology.)  Hence, most good  and curious studies seemed to have been done overseas, where no money is at stake when a company says that they saw some form or correlation of issues.  It makes sense.  Why destroy your company's livelihood over some facts?  Right?

(Ok, I'm getting a bit snarky there)

So check out this piece I came across today...

Over on MNN.com, they did a piece on how some ninth-grade students did a quick study on the potential of cell phone radiation effects on humans.

To test a theory, they took six trays of plants and placed them in one room, while in another room, they placed six more trays of plants next to some computer routers.

Per their calculations, they estimate that the same type of radiation is emitted by their router that is emitted by a cell phone.

They let their quick growing plants take root and twelve days later, when they went to check on them, it seemed that the plants, Lepidium sativum, a type of garden cress, that were next to the router, did not grow, while the other test plates grew quite nicely.

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In a great article covering the issue on ABC News, there's the valid argument that maybe the heat from the routers caused the non-growing condition.  So there's that, despite the students being diligent about the moisture content of the test plants.

The ABC article goes on to point out a similar test where ash trees were subjected to various kinds of radiation for a three month period, and the trees started developing sign of radiation sickness.

Interesting things to ponder.  That's for sure.  I think I'm going to be using my speaker-phone mode, at arm's length from now on!  LOL.

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sources: MNN, ABC News.

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