Mobile phones and cancer: persuasive new title a Muckraking scientist

Dr. Devra Davis new book disconnect - the result of a survey data on cell phones and cancer, as well as efforts to stave regulation - wireless industry is enough to convince you pause before you fire up that iPhone.

On Ecocentric today, I wrote about the new book Davis. The author is an epidemiologist and the toxicologist and an expert in environmental health, which has made a career of the idea that cancer often has more to do with what is happening to us that what happens in our genes. Her 2007 book the secret history of the war on cancer has shown how some of the best medical minds in the United States has minimized environmental factors behind cancer - chemical exposure to products of cigarette - smoke for far too long, partly because of deception and the delay of the industry.(More on Time.com: objects in good health? there are 10 applications for that)

Davis makes now as the same thing is happening with cell phones:

She found studies, a few decades old, evidence showing that radio-frequency radiation used by mobile phones could have biological effects - indeed enough for DNA damage and potentially contribute to brain tumours.She concluded that other countries, like France and Israel - had already acted, discourage the use of cell phones by children and even put the aircraft warning signs.She found evidence of dramatic increases in certain types of tumors of the brain in exceptionally young patients who were heavy users of phones cellulaires.Et, as she saw with cancer of the lung and tobacco, Davis found that wireless - often with the help of government - industry had discouraged independent scientists, who studied cell phones and helped dubious science which clouded the issue effectively products. "It's about public health issues most important and recognized our time," says Davis. ""."We could prevent a global catastrophe."

Taken together, however, connections between mobile phones and cancer, which I discussed in detail here and here, are confusing and questionable.Or, at least, they are to anyone who is not wireless, industry that offers easy answer: "To date, no adverse effects on health have been established for the use of the mobile phone."

This is where book Davis gets really convaincant.Davis supports scientists have not "established" the use of mobile phone dangers because they have not requested the right questions - perhaps on purpose.Davis shows that independent studies on cellular radiation are dangers more than twice the rate of studies funded by the industry - but because the cellular industry subscribed so much research on the biological effects of cell phones, there are many more of the latter.(More on Time.com: why hearings half.com conversation phones you readers Nuts)

Further, the author shows how the industry has been able to twist science fair enough to avert the possibility of any regulation - and demonstrates that researchers are justly fear to challenge the status quo, fear they found intimidation by industry and out of a job, suddenly refused the vital force of research money. ""."If you do not know the answer,"Says Davis,"do not ask the question."

Finally, it makes a strong case that we underestimate the possible threat of phones cellulaires.Nous going off - even if alarming studies began to pile, but quietly, the message has been slow to achieve the same and public health experts more slowly reaching Government. ''"The fact that we do not know anything about the subject does not mean that everything is functioning correctly", she said. ""."I can't tell you that cell phones are dangerous, but I can tell you that I am not sure they are safe."

Click here for details on how discovered Davis surveys.

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