Are we forgetting just how harmful cellphones are?

http://bit.ly/xAHpHd  The cellphone industry is an expanding, huge industry in today's wide technology and gadget market, today we have over 100,000 cellphone towers spread across the USA, an explosive $40 billion dollar a year industry. Smartphone sales in 2011 reached 472 million across the globe, and are expected to rise to a gaping 982 million by 2015. It is the safety of these cell phone towers, as well as cellphones themselves which has become the subject of extensive scientific debate, beginning in the 1980s, a mere 30 years ago, when the cellphone industry was born. 


But the question pondering in everyone's head: why do we forget about the risks of cellphone usage, let the media swoop in and remind us that cellphone radiation is a gigantic risk, and then let the issue slip from our lousy memories again? I query this very question since it resembles quite identically what exactly has been happening ever since the still-growing industry was established. 

EMR emissions coming from the
cellphone diagram. Note how
the waves form the cellphone impact
both the neck, and upper head.

Image from pongresearch.com

How did it all start? Major concern. When the first cellphones were launched, there was excitement, but among all of the buzz of a new revolution being born in front of our eyes, there was great skepticism. People knew that there was a "but" or an "if", because with every new technology, there is, as Neil Postman highlights in his "Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change", a setback or disadvantage. This disadvantage, not surprisingly, turns out to be the damage EMR, the radiation cellphones emit, do to our brains.




Don't forget, this $40 billion dollar a year industry doesn't just make money off phones. No, no, and no. There are accessories, such as Pong's EMR protection cases, which reduce cellphone SAR levels by up to 95%. These "amazing, health-inspiring" products tend to swoop right in when the media is concerned about smart phones and their effects (such as the recent studies on cellphones and cancer, brain tumors, etc.).




Coincidence? I think not. At 2012's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, EMR protection products were were majorly headlined, as well as all other smart phone accessories and cases. So what does this mean? 


Well, it can't just be luck that as soon as the media comes by, BOOM, there the protection products are, and OH, here we go off again worrying about cellphones and their "newly found risk". Just because we haven't heard about the level of radiation they emit in a couple of months doesn't mean that we haven't heard of this before. After all, 2 and a half weeks ago, just before CES, the above article was published, stating that: 

"Individuals who use their cell phones regularly for more than 10 years have an increased risk of developing brain cancers." 

-Dr. Hardell's studies

You get the point. What I'm trying to say? We can't just let this issue slip from our brains. It's very important to be educated, as well as never forget that there is an apparent risk in our society; it's always there, and everyone is affected, even though we are so used to it that we don't notice.


What do you think? Do you think that we have forgotten about the risks of cellphone usage, just to be recently awoken with an abrupt BANG from the media, wanting us to be focused on the issue once again (not suprisingly, just in time for CES). Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts, as well as follow me on Twitter: @em_radiation. Tune in for more on EMR!


-EMRadiation