Mobile phone may increase the risk of certain types of brain cancer

Cell Phone Cancer

Using a mobile phone may increase the risk of certain types of brain cancer in humans and consumers should consider ways of reducing their exposure, World Health Organisation WHO.L cancer experts said on Tuesday.


A working group of 31 scientists from 14 countries meeting at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC.L said a review of all the available scientific evidence suggested cell phone use should be classified as "possibly carcinogenic".

That classification could prompt the United Nations health body to look again at its guidelines on mobile phones, the IARC scientists said, but more research is needed before a more definitive answer on any link can be given.

The WHO had previously said there was no established evidence for a link between cell phone use and cancer. (Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Mark Heinrich)


Source : Reuters, May 31, 2011

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Mobile phone may increase the risk of certain types of brain cancer

Is it really dangerous to use a cell phone on a plane?

 You know who you are. You leave your phone on during flights, maybe do a little text messaging and otherwise break rules about cell phone use on planes once the doors close for departure.

"This is an absurd rule. I never turn (mine) off. I may text or browse the Web, but I never talk on the phone," one CNN.com reader commented recently.

On the other side of the aisle are passengers who abide by the safety instructions and warnings, worried that cellular signals may indeed interfere with cockpit instruments.

Take those two camps and add passengers who say either way, listening to fellow travelers chatter on the phone would be annoying, and you have a heated debate -- sometimes literally in the airplane aisles.

Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington's BlackBerry use got her in trouble with a fellow flier this month, and in December a dispute came to blows when a teen wouldn't turn off his phone as his flight taxied for takeoff.

A U.S. ban on airborne use of cell phones has been in place for 20 years because of concerns transmissions would interfere with cellular networks on the ground. While many airlines now offer Wi-Fi access via portable electronic devices from laptops to smartphones, cellular voice and data services on domestic airlines fall under that Federal Communications Commission ban.

The Federal Aviation Administration supports the ban, citing potential interference with aircraft communication and navigation systems. The FAA also advises airlines to make sure passengers turn off almost all portable electronic devices during critical phases of flight, below 10,000 feet. Airlines require electronics be turned off and stowed during takeoff and landing.

But airline passengers who have routinely neglected -- or forgotten -- to turn off their mobile phones without devastating consequences have to wonder, how dangerous can it be?

That turns out to be a tough question to answer, but those who've studied the rules sum it up as better safe than sorry.

The risk is small, "buy why take that risk?" asked David Carson, a Boeing engineer who headed up a committee of aviation and electronics experts years ago to advise the FAA on the safety of Wi-Fi and cellular devices on planes.

He compared breaking the cell phone rules with not wearing a seat belt. "I could probably make a flight without a seat belt on and probably I'd be safe," Carson said.

"It's the same kind of thing as operating a cell phone or not. You're probably going to be OK; probably the airplane is new and isn't going to be bothered by it."

The bottom line, he said, is to listen to the flight attendants. They're the ones who are trained to ensure safe travel on the plane you're on, Carson said.

Technological tension on airplanes seems to be growing with rule-conscious passengers wrestling with whether to rat on their noncompliant neighbors.

"That's the dilemma that I've had. You know, there's a kid sitting next to me and do I make a big deal and alienate him and then have to sit next to him the whole flight? Or should I speak up because I'm saving everyone's life?" wonders Mark Rotenstreich, a lawyer in New York.

Rotenstreich, 49, has reason to be a vigilant flier. In the mid-1990s, he found himself climbing out of an emergency exit onto the wing of a plane that crashed at the end of a LaGuardia Airport runway trying to abort takeoff. No one was killed, and the accident had nothing to do with cellular interference, but seeing fellow fliers on their phones does give Rotenstreich pause.

"It definitely makes me uncomfortable," he said.

The FAA said it does not know of any aviation accidents linked to interference from personal electronic devices.

Without hard evidence on interference one way or another from Carson's advisory committee, organized by RTCA Inc., the FAA heeded its recommendation to let the current regulations stand "in the interest of being conservative about safety," said FAA spokesman Les Dorr.

Voluntary reports to the Aviation Safety Reporting System provide some anecdotal evidence of incidents (PDF) that might be tied to interference. One synopsis reports a B757's fuel gauge "blanked after (takeoff) and became operable prior to (landing)." The crew suspected interference from portable electronic devices, according to the summary.

A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University researchers in 2003 found no definitive evidence of accidents caused by electronic devices but concluded that using the devices in flight was more dangerous than previously believed.

"The data support a conclusion that continued use of portable (radio frequency)-emitting devices such as cell phones will, in all likelihood, someday cause an accident by interfering with critical cockpit instruments such as GPS receivers," the study's authors wrote in a 2006 article on their findings.

The RTCA committee found ways to test airplanes for interference, and it outlined how to do so to help airlines design and outfit planes that can tolerate cell-phone use.

While cell-phone calls on flights in the U.S. are unlikely in the near future, international passengers already have the option to chat or text using their personal phones.

Many international carriers, from Emirates to British Airways, have tested the technology, received approval from regulators and started offering cellular voice and data service on some routes. Roaming agreements allow fliers to make inflight calls that are billed by their personal cell carriers as international roaming. Charges typically run about $9 a minute.

OnAir, one of the main global providers of inflight cellular connectivity, said given the choice, passengers on planes offering its products prefer cellular service to Wi-Fi. OnAir offers both services.

OnAir CEO Ian Dawkins said he expects U.S. airlines will eventually push to revisit the FCC rule as increased use of cellullar service on international carriers sparks competition.

Not necessarily, said Dave Bijur, director of strategic airline solutions at Aircell, a company that provides GoGo Inflight internet service to many of the biggest U.S. airlines.

"If the passengers started squawking and saying, 'Hey, I really want phone service,' we might be concerned with the rules, but because they're not, because the airlines are not, we're just content right where we are," Bijur said.

And the FCC has no plans to revisit the rule anytime soon, for much the same reason. When the commission announced plans to reconsider the ban in 2004, the public weighed in forcefully.

"It was overwhelming. People do not want to have cell phone access or be subjected to people who have cell phone access on an airplane," said Matt Nodine, chief of staff for the FCC's wireless bureau.

Count flier Rotenstreich among those who don't want to listen to seatmate cell talk.

"I would find it completely annoying because it's nice that a plane is one of those places you can go and not have to listen to someone else's phone conversation," he said.

OnAir and other providers and supporters of inflight cellular voice service say the vision of a cacophony of prattling airline passengers is distorted. Most calls last less than three minutes, according to OnAir, and the onboard infrastructure limits the number of simultaneous calls. Only six to 12 calls can be placed at once.

Carson hears similar accounts from airlines who offer voice service. "You don't get 300 people all yelling on a cell phone," he said.

One of the best comments he's heard on the social side of the debate makes a valid point: "A loud talker doesn't need a cell phone to be annoying."

Information Source : CNN
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Is it really dangerous to use a cell phone on a plane?

Sprint to set the bar for feature-rich and customer-friendly 4G devices into 2011

Sprint phones

 The HTC EVO Shift 4G is a WiMax-enabled Android smartphone. Although the Shift is the successor to the HTC EVO 4G, it differs in design and size, as the Shift comes with sliding QWERTY keyboard and a smaller display.

Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse said, “Sprint will continue to set the bar for feature-rich and customer-friendly 4G devices into 2011… Our proven leadership as a 4G pioneer has allowed our customers to enjoy 4G from Sprint first, and these new products exemplify Sprint's commitment to put industry-leading performance and capabilities in the hands of our customers.”

The announcement of a new smartphone from Sprint is a direct challenge to Verizon. Verizon launched its 4G service in December and is the country’s largest wireless carrier, and is expected to introduce four smartphones designed to work on the 4G network. But the move to introduce a cheaper 4G-enabled phone may alter the prospects for Verizon, as the Shift has all the features of other high-end smartphones and competes on price.

The Shift is also equipped with MiFi, which enables the new device to run widgets and Web apps right on the device. It also acts as server for files stored on a MicroSD memory card. The MiFi is priced at $49.99 with a two year contract and will be available on Feb. 27.

Sprint says the Shift allows up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to connect to the 3G/4G wireless network.

Information source: Google Search

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Sprint to set the bar for feature-rich and customer-friendly 4G devices into 2011

Cell Phones Can Cause Severe Health Hazards

Cell phones User

Various research papers suggest that even small amount of radio frequency (RF) energy produced by cell phones can cause significant DNA damage.

Revealing the link between the risk of brain cancer and mobile usage, large international study - Interphone - conducted by EU countries, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and UK, that was published in May 2010 in the International Journal of Epidemiology mentioned that excessive use of mobile phones has doubled brain tumour risk.

However, the Interphone researchers have taken an average user as a person who uses cell phone for 2 hours in a month while, in India, many people use cell phones for 1 to 2 hours a day.

Today, large population in India is using cell phones for several hours in a day without realising the severe health hazards, it can create.

A detailed report on Cell Tower Radiation - prepared by IIT Bombay's professor Girish Kumar from electrical engineering department and submitted to department of telecom, Delhi last week - that focuses on the Indian contexts of the cell usage and potential health risks, notes "When electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from a cell phone (Frequency -GSM 900 MHz) hits the head, it penetrates the skull. The radiation penetrates the skull of an adult (25%), 10-year-old (50%) and a 5-year-old (75%)."

It implies that children are more vulnerable to EMR as the energy penetrates more deeply into their smaller heads. A number of adverse health effects of radiation exposure have been documented in the report which include altered white blood cells in children; childhood leukemia, headaches, dizziness, insomnia etc.

Cell phone and Cancer

EMR frequencies can damage DNA and interfere with the natural processes involved in DNA replication and repair. Linking radiation with risk of cancers, the report says, damage to DNA is a central mechanism for developing cancer.

Heavy use of mobile phones can cause cancer. Use of mobile phones formore than 10 years give a consistent pattern of increased risk for brain cancer -glioma (cancer of the glial cells that support the central nervous system) and acoustic neuroma (a tumour in the brain on a nerve related to hearing).

The risk is highest for developing tumour on the same side of the head where the instrument is held. Increased risk of salivary gland cancer is reportedly linked to the use of mobile phones. Recent studies confirm that cell phone radiation can drastically affect male fertility.

"Studies have found 30% sperm decrease in intensive mobile phone users. Similarly, motility of the sperm was also affected by mobile phone transmissions," it says.

The report notes that radiation from cell towers and mobile phones affects skin and may cause electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). People suffering from this condition report a range of symptoms including biting and stinging sensations; or lesions, rashes or sores.

With potential to cause Tinnitus (Ringxiety - the psychological disease of hearing phantom sound), the radiation emitted by mobile phones may damage the delicate workings of the inner ear.

For many marketing professionals, engaging in long talks over mobile phone, the problem starts with a pain in the ear that gradually develops into a ringing sensation which finally leads to hearing loss, notes the report.

Child User

Those, who are using cell phones for more than four years and for more than 30 minutes in a day, are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss, which cannot be reversed.

EMR exposure has been shown to affect the brain physiology and is also shown to be in connection with Alzheimer's and

Parkinson's disease. "Use of the handsets before bed, delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches, confusion and depression. People living near mobile phone base stations are also at greater risk for developing neuropsychiatric problems as headache, memory loss, dizziness, tremors, muscle spasms, numbness, muscle and joint pain and sleep disturbance,"

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Supreme Court Rules Phones Can be Searched Without a Warrant

The California Supreme Court ruled that phones obtained following an arrest can be searched without a warrant by police. The decision which had a 5 – 2 majority reasoned that phones were personal property and “immediately associated” with the suspect person.

Justice Kathryn Werdegar however wrote that the ruling violates the U.S Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, and subsequently information stored on a cell phone should not be examined without a warrant.

The debate follows an incident where Gregory Diaz was convicted on evidence found in the man’s cell phone which showed messages negotiating the price of drugs. Though his defence tried to suppress the evidence from the phone, both trial and Second District Court of Appeal held that the search was justified.

The Supreme Court used two cases as a guide to reach its decision. United States v. Robinson , 414 U.S. 218, 224 (1973) which held it was legal for the arresting officer to search the arrestees cigarette packet, and United States v. Chadwick 433 U.S. 1, 14-15 (1977), where federal agents were found to be lawful to search a foot locker.

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Supreme Court Rules Phones Can be Searched Without a Warrant