Items tagged with radiation
We've been warned about the potential risks of cell phone use due to radiation for ages, but to date, there hasn't been definitive information published that would warrant some sort of formal government or industry action. Nothing changes with that today, but California's Department of Public Health has deemed the risks to be high enough to issue a warning so that perhaps some users won't use these devices as much, as well as get out of the habit of regularly keeping them close to our bodies. The CDPH admits that the "science is still evolving", so again, there's no reason for immediate alarm here, but it goes on to say that many public health professionals are growing concerned about the constant...
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It's a wireless world we live in these days, and unless you reside in an isolated area far removed from civilization and devoid of electronic gadgets, you can't walk from the bedroom to the bathroom without bonking into a barrage of wireless signals. Should we be concerned? So far so good -- we haven't mutated as a species to carry around a third arm or anything of that nature, though there are something interesting things to observe in this Wi-Fi society we've built up. One of them is recent research by a group of 9th grade female students from Denmark who discovered that the wireless radiation from routers prevents nearby plants from growing, Natural News reports. The five students decided...
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In a one-city crusade, San Francisco attempted to pass an ordinance requiring retailers to post warnings to consumers about the potentially dangerous levels of radiation coming from their cell phones. It didn’t get far, as a judge blocked the 2011 ordinance before it could take effect, and now, Reuters reports that the city has backed down from the measure. The city had already lost in court against the CTIA, and the permanent injunction against the ordinance was part of a settlement. The CTIA had posited that such an ordinance would violate its free speech rights and would mislead consumers about an issue that currently doesn’t appear to have consensus among the scientific community....
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San Francisco, home of the Giants and land of sometimes questionable mandates, like the one passed last year that would require cell phone retailers to slap a label on their devices indicating radiation levels. The measure created a bit of a firestorm on the Internet over whether such a label was really needed or simply ridiculous. For now, San Francisco is betting on the latter. According to a report in The San Francisco Chronicle, city officials have now decided to delay implementing what is known as the "Right to Know" ordinance, placing it on indefinite hold, likely until a different version takes its place. So why the change of heart? Image Credit: Flickr (Salim Virji) It's not just the...
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CTIA, the wireless industry's biggest trade group announced on Friday that it has sued the city of San Francisco over its recently passed ordinance requiring retailers to display the radiation levels emitted from cellphones. The “Cell Phone Right-to-Know” law requires retailers to display the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) next to phones they sell. In the U.S. and Canada, the SAR must be 1.6 watts per kg or less. In Europe, the maximum level is 2.0 kw per kg or less. At the time of passage, the CTIA said then, and emphasizes now, that the law will confuse consumers. It will, the CTIA said, make them believe that certain models will be "safer" to use than others. John Walls, a spokesman...
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We've heard numerous arguments to back up both sides of the cell phone radiation debate. Some research indicates they are safe, others disagree. Now, a new study is fueling the argument that cell phones could cause serious side effects. According to a 10-year study from the World Health Organization (WHO), there's a proven link between the long-term use of a cell phone and increased risks for brain cancer and tumors. The study, headed by Dr. Elisabeth Cardis, shows an 18% increase in brain tumor development with long-term cell phone usage. The United States did not participate in the Interphone study but Senator Tom Harkin, the head of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee,...
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We've heard facts that claim cell phones are perfectly safe and other pieces of information that say cell phones are dangerous. Now, a new website from ProCon.org is available to help you decide for yourself. Even though the radio frequency (RF) radiation levels in cell phones are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and generally considered to be safe when used properly, there is still plenty of research that shows cell phone use could cause cancer, disrupt pacemakers, decrease fertility, damage DNA, and increase the risk of traffic accidents. The FCC and other government agencies claim the majority of scientific studies show there are no adverse health effects from cell...
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Well, Jack Bauer would like us to believe that nuclear terror is just around the corner, and with this system, we could just possibly prove it.Researchers at Purdue University are working with the state of Indiana to develop a system that would use a network of cell phones to detect and track radiation to help prevent terrorist attacks with radiological "dirty bombs" and nuclear weapons.Such a system could blanket the nation with millions of cell phones equipped with radiation sensors able to detect even light residues of radioactive material. Because cell phones already contain global positioning locators, the network of phones would serve as a tracking system, said physics professor Ephraim...
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Ars technica examines the available information about the dangers of exposure to WiFi radiation. Short answer: Yes it's possible that Vampire JFK might have assassinated Princess Di to keep the Illuminati from using her to spawn an alien baby to start the Rapture, and WiFi radiation might be making your joints ache. It's just not very likely. The initial report in the Times suggests that clearer data will come from an ongoing double-blind study, but WiFi Net News has found that a study of this sort has already been published. Those claiming to be radiation-sensitive were found to have their symptoms correlate with being informed...
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