So, while I don’t think it is “anything new,” a local doctor is issueing warnings about the health risks of cell phone use.  I don’t use my cell phone a large amount, but Ido actually work with my laptop on my lapop (I have a back issue that is healing still, so I have to lay down most the day - good thing I work from home!)

Here is a link with the warning in the news:
http://kdka.com/seenon/cell.phone.health.2.777769.html

So - what are your thoughts on the impact that modern technologies are having on our health? What can we do (in the field of technology, engineering, etc) to protect ourselves from the potential dangers?

Funnily enough, someone from a cancer organization in Canada just issued a statement saying that while caution never hurts, there is currently no evidence of cell phones causing any significant issues.  Go figure :)

I’m WAY more concerned about all the wireless telephones I spent my time on in the 80’s and 90’s before cell phones came along. I have at least a solid 15 years of using those archaic things.

Where’s the hoopla about that?

one doctor issued the warning.  and he’s not an rf scientist!  And he even recommended using wireless headsets instead of cellphones… how does he think those work, magic dust?

paranoia.  I’m putting this in the all the other files about how everything causes cancer, or everything prevents cancer.  I think we’d know by now if cell phones were bad for you, given the fact that everyone’s got one.

PixelGeek - 24 July 2008 08:50 AM

So, while I don’t think it is “anything new,” a local doctor is issueing warnings about the health risks of cell phone use.  I don’t use my cell phone a large amount, but Ido actually work with my laptop on my lapop (I have a back issue that is healing still, so I have to lay down most the day - good thing I work from home!)

Here is a link with the warning in the news:
http://kdka.com/seenon/cell.phone.health.2.777769.html

So - what are your thoughts on the impact that modern technologies are having on our health? What can we do (in the field of technology, engineering, etc) to protect ourselves from the potential dangers?

I personally think the cell phone/health issues are just shenanigans.  I work, in great depth in this field and cell phones produce such small abouts of RF that it will have very little impact.  Now if you were to leave the door open on your microwave and radiate yourself and family...that’s a different story.  A piece of equipment I work on called the TRN-44 TACAN used for Navigational Aids for aircraft puts out about 1500-3000 watts of power the UHF band, as compared to less than 1 watt, and the majority are less the 0.4 watts of the cell phone.  So far the most noticeable impact on men that work on these is they usually have more girls than boys.  Apparently that frequency and power rating kills the Y chromosome.  but this isn’t necessarily a negative side effect.

I’m surrounded by hundreds of mobiles everyday at work and I’m ok so far ;) There is no research that says mobile phones damage your health so we shouldn’t worry. The only way to know for sure will be when we all reach old age and can see the effects.