Comments on: Cell Phone Cancer

By: meggiebean

meggiebean — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:18:55 +0000

The energy waves that cell phones use actually are microwaves.

By: pkw

pkw — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:14:55 +0000

Husband says of the Bluetooths- “Everytime I wear one for any length of time, I get a headache. There’s a clue.”

By: Anonymi

Anonymi — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:49:46 +0000

YAY for a line about distracted driving. Weird enough we did a presentation on distracted driving this week too.

By: graceofbass

graceofbass — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:11:04 +0000

@ wuerstchen: That link to the puppy-cam is awesome. I really miss my dog, so watching puppies boradcast live online is awesome. Totally nonrelated to the last episode (which was very funny), but the puppycam link is a mini gold mine.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:14:33 +0000

Ok….so if you find out that cell phones really do cause cancer, don’t post a video to tell me. Call me while I’m lying on the floor unable to reach the computer. I’ll have my cell phone on me waiting. Great video, as usual.

By: steph {207}

steph {207} — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:37:25 +0000

eh, I still love my cell phone anyway =]. Great show as always.

By: AngInAmerica

AngInAmerica — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:06:52 +0000

So… I have a pacemaker. Should I be worried about using my cell phone? More worried than the average cell-addict, I mean?

By: FrootLoopColorSorter

FrootLoopColorSorter — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:57:50 +0000

Brett… I said “those are my favorites” out loud at the same time (jinx!) you did after the comments about the studies… now either I’m watching a little too much WYOTK (impossible right?) or great minds think alike. Or its Freaky Friday? The lady that rammed into my car was trying to kill me by using her cell phone, but it had nothing to do with RF whatchamacallits… something to do with “spacing it” though. ;-)L

By: wuerstchen

wuerstchen — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:42:15 +0000

Hi there. Long-time viewer, first-time commenter (I’ve always wanted to say that). I have a gift for you highly unrelated but surprisingly captivating:

http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016

PS Not a ploy to get into any secret combinations.

By: marc

marc — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:12:15 +0000

To Russ:
You don’t want an aluminum hat, you would want a Faraday hat. A Faraday’s cage shields low frequency electromagnetic waves, which includes RFs. It is pretty much an aluminum hat inside another aluminum hat.

By: 0612

0612 — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:23:02 +0000

Hmm… Microwave cooks by exciting water particles because these water particles happen to resonate at the same frequency as microwave. However, there should be no similar risk with cellphone RF because it operates at a different frequency range… Right?

By: Russ

Russ — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:41:35 +0000

So… This episode raised a question for me:
What sort of waves does my laptop use for WiFi signals? Are they also the r-f cancer “causing” kind? And what about radio (am, fm, xm), t.v. (especially satellite), GPS units — or remote controls! Cancer causing waves are all around us! What are we going to do?!! Where’s my aluminum hat?
Well. I guess that’s that. We’re all going to die.

By: BasilsHumanFriend

BasilsHumanFriend — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:54:06 +0000

I wish I had a cellphone…. But I do think it’s a loss to the concept of a “community”…. But it’s just not right to have to be constantly borrowing phones, it’s not seen as friendly in any way, it’s seen as imposing and rude, tho I’m not sure how it could be friendly, unless you’re attempting to make friends by borrowing phones…. A lot of the time they think I’m just going to run off with the phone…. That brings up hitch-hiking, and how it used to be friendly, but now people are manipulating kindness…. It’s sad….

By: Dee

Dee — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:18:10 +0000

Luv’d it and yeah, also glad you opted not to make an election video. I think we need a break till, say, January 20th. ;)

By: Nospinplease

Nospinplease — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:12:38 +0000

Oh no cell phone cancer! Everything causes cancer… I think. Funny video, made me equals D.

By: Jennifer McKenzie

Jennifer McKenzie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:20:50 +0000

Thanks for NOT doing something on the election. I was sick of it all BEFORE the results were in.
And that video at the end? Absolutely true. Warning labels and rabid fear tactics only made me want a cigarette before I quit smoking. You know what worked? The price of a pack and inflation making everything else expensive. The same is true of discussions about diets. I’m more likely to order a pizza after talking to my “you should exercise every day and be one of the beautiful people” sister.

By: Mark F

Mark F — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:55:19 +0000

Great show. I agree with what others have said…thanks for giving us a diversion from all the Election talk. It’s refreshing to see something non-Election related on the internet today. I needed a break.

By: The Brothers Winn

The Brothers Winn — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:19:07 +0000

Guin,
The cell phone pop corn video is fake.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2008/06/10/cell-phone-popcorn.htm

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:36:50 +0000

Even if the Bluetooth headsets don’t put out a lot of radiation right next to your ear, your phone is still most likely on your body, which isn’t all that much better.

Ingrid’s right– bread is DANGEROUS stuff.
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/bread.html

It’s all about misinterpretation of statistics, actually– sure, people who have previously used cell phones get cancer. But the cell phone doesn’t necessarily have an influence. A correlation is not a cause.

By: Meandering {207}

Meandering {207} — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:53:25 +0000

My take on the whole cancer thing is everything causes cancer anyway, so you shuold pick the one that you want the least and do whatever supposedly causes it more often. Anyway, good show, like the ones of old. Keep it up!

By: idiotonuni

idiotonuni — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:48:29 +0000

awesome i just asked that question last week.

By: marc

marc — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:45:55 +0000

I have to agree with Ingrid. Remember, you are experiencing cellular and DNA damage all the time. You develop tumors or cancer only when your body becomes unable to correct said damage, through means of either correcting the DNA, inactivating the cell, or destroying the cell.

To address the issue of RF waves actually being carcinogenic, I must quote an article published in 2005:
It is relatively easy to identify strong human carcinogens; but identifying weak carcinogens or carcinogens that act by epigenetic mechanisms is difficult, and proving the absence of a carcinogenic risk is both practically and theoretically impossible. Thus the scientific issue is not does RF energy cause cancer but rather how hard have scientists looked for evidence that RF energy causes cancer and how strong is the overall evidence linking RF energy and cancer. (J. E. Moulder et al. Int. J. Radiat. Biol., Vol. 81, No. 3, March 2005, pp. 189 – 203) Moulder et al. (2005) continue on to list 12 conditions that assess the evidence of mobile phone RF energy and cancer risk. Only one of those 12 conditions did not meet good quality testing (only fair). However, Moulder et al. (2005) still conclude that “[the] evidence for a causal association is weak and unconvincing.” Yeah, I know this was from 2005, however there has not been a study that really changes the opinion of most scientist regarding this issue since 2005. Scientist are currently examining the long-term effects (10+ years), but such studies are costly… so encourage your elected officials to give out more grant money, so we can research this issue, and many more!

Interestingly enough, a study in 2007 (Zhao et al. Neuroscience Letters Volume 412, Issue 1, 22 January 2007, Pages 34-38) found that exposure to a cell phone in the transmission phase and the stand-by phase for two hours can double the expression of multiple genes that cause neuron death. So, while talking on the phone for 2 hours straight may or may not give you brain cancer, it sure can kill off them neurons!

I personally would be worried a lot more with the daily dose of radiation we all receive walking around in the morning… or eating… remember, you ingest a healthy dose of radiation each year with both carbon-14 and potassium-40, both natural sources of radiation.
Here is a website from the American Nuclear Society that actually calculates your exposure to high-end electromagnetic radio waves:
http://www.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart/

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:55:40 +0000

I actually think the hole cellphone causing cancer thing is a hoax. I don’t believe any of it. And even if it does, a few weeks ago I heard eating bread could cause cancer. What DOESN’T cause cancer…
As I said in the comments on the previous page I’m going with Guin. It doesn’t really have to be in a show, since you allready did so many on them. But could somebody explain how the elections work? i really don’t understand it :P

By: someone else

someone else — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:04:37 +0000

I too am glad there was nothing about Election Day in the video. I am drained from constantly thinking election. I remember hearing something about cell phones possibly causing cancer. I don’t put much into the study findings because studies are usually biased. I will say this though. I used to carry my cell phone in my bra (weird I know, but it was convenient) but I stopped because I started to feel pain similar to having a muscle ache or bruise in the very spot next to the cell phone. I don’t know if the pain was a warning sign or not but I didn’t want one more risk factor (even a very slight one) for breast cancer.

By: Guin

Guin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:52:21 +0000

i seen this video on youtube where these kids make a popcorn kernel pop using cell phones. Maybe that the reference to heat?

By: Guin

Guin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:47:00 +0000

i meant to say do ANOTHER video.

By: Guin

Guin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:45:52 +0000

Obama won! Now due a video on how elections really work in the US. Is Nader right?

By: Anonymi

Anonymi — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:56:25 +0000

Well just because it may increase your risk of cancer but cancer is impossible to truly prevent since it is a weird growth in whatever part of the body it is in due to a weird division of cells.

By: hygentist

hygentist — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:50:39 +0000

I’m so relieved it WASN’T about the election. Best line: Nothing says fashionable like having a small, black slug hanging from your right ear! Still LOL!
On a more serious note I saw a JAMA article that stated that children’s brains were affected more from the RF than adults — so at least don’t let kids talk long on cell phones.

By: WEGGLES

WEGGLES — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:52:16 +0000

Excellent show.

What about the Cellphones effects on testicles? You’d think that RF wouldn’t be good for them either, and it sits in your pocket, in close proximity.

By: wx5aaa

wx5aaa — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:33:26 +0000

dangit….im 2nd….. good job guys

By: nick

nick — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:57:34 +0000

Great show, but I was expecting something about election day.