Big in Japan: Cell phones don’t give you brain cancer

by Matthew Firestone on

In this day and age of modern convenience, it seems that just about everything can kill you…

Not surprisingly, we live in a culture of fear where everything from artificial sweeteners and egg yolks to acid wash jeans and hair dye can give you cancer.

And of course, there is no greater culprit out there than the cellular phone, which beams high energy waves directly into your brain causing irrevocable damage.

(Or, at least that’s what the media would have you believe.)

Although several studies in the past have suggested that extended cell phone use may lead to brain cancer, a new study out of Japan suggests otherwise.

According to a recent study at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, researchers found no increased risk of the three main types of brain cancer among regular cellular phone users.

In other words, extended cell phone use most likely does not raise the risk of developing brain tumors.

Shocked?
Skeptical?
Doubtful?
Intrigued?

Before moving to Japan, I used to be an epidemiologist in a former life (seriously!), so let me do my best to explain why you shouldn’t feel guilty about your ‘free nights and weekends’ cell plan.

In a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, Japanese researchers compared 322 brain cancer patients and 683 healthy people in a trial to determine the long-term effects of using cell phones.

The researchers rated each test subject to determine two important variables: how many years they had been using a cell phone, and how many minutes they spent talking on it each day.

In what is being described as a breakthrough research method, the researchers also studied the radiation emitted from various types of cell phones, and categorized them based on radiation strength.

(In layman’s terms, we’re talking about how zap to the brain each phone lets out.)

Are you with me so far? Hope so!

According to lead researcher Professor Naohito Yamaguchi, “Using our newly developed and more accurate techniques, we found no association between mobile phone use and cancer, providing more evidence to suggest they don’t cause brain cancer.”

So there it is.

(Well, sort of…)

You see, the problem with medical science is that you can never fully prove or disapprove an association.

But, you can provide evidence to suggest the likelihood of one way or the other, which is why popular opinion on whether or not something is good for you can quickly swing.

However, most studies to date have suggested that cell phone usage is not association with an increased risk of cancer. The largest study to date, which followed 420,000 people for ten years, failed to find any evidence of a cancer trend.

So do cell phones give you brain cancer?

Most likely not, though it is impossible to rule out the long-term effects as cell phones haven’t been around long enough to analyze the effects of lifetime usage.

So, hopefully we should all have an answer to this question sometime in the next few decades…

Isn’t science fun?

** Brain image sourced from the Wikimedia Commons Project. Keitai images were shot by me on Takeshita-dori in Harajuku**

The problem with staying the middle of nowhere: an $85,000 phone bill!

by Martha Edwards on

A couple of months ago, my cell phone bill came to $150. Ouch. Turns out I don’t have a very good long distance plan, so texting and leaving tipsy messages for my friends from my vacation was a little pricey. Still, I guess I can’t really complain — a 22-year-old man working in the oil fields in Northern Alberta received a shockingly high cell phone bill — for $85,000! Good grief! That’s a house, not a phone bill. I’m surprised that phone bills even get that high.

Apparently, Piotr Staniaszek thought that he could use his cell phone as a modem for his computer and, since he was holed up in a shack in the middle of nowhere by himself, spent his time surfing the net and downloading movies.

Bell Canada, his provider, has agreed to reduce to the charges to $3,400. Still. That’s pretty steep.

Did you know?


Know where your friends are at all times

by Neil Woodburn on

Whether you’re in a strange city on vacation, or simply in your own hometown, it can often be a challenge to meet up with your friends at a designated place and time. You know how it is; someone’s always running late or getting lost.

Loopt, another cool company brought to us by Stanford grads, aims to eliminate all the waiting and guesswork involved in meeting up.

The technology is simple and works with the GPS signal in your cell phone. Want to know where Landon is with the keg? Just check your cell phone screen and a Loopt map will point out his exact location. In fact, as long as your friends opt in, your phone will tell you wherever they are at any time of the day and even send you an alert if they happen to be nearby.

Very cool, and perhaps even a little scary.

Oh, and you’ll need to be on the Boost or Sprint network for it to work.

Woman Imagines Terrorist Hijacking, Refuses To Stop Using Cell Phone In Flight

by Jonathon Morgan on

Erin Callahan Lambert got drunk and did some really, really stupid things on a flight from Boston to San Francisco last Sunday. Now she’s facing federal charges for making comments about a hijacking, trying to open a cabin door and fighting with flight attendants.

It all started to go awry when Lambert began talking on her cell phone halfway through the flight. When attendants asked her to stop, she became “combative.” Then, she claimed that she was “calling 911 because the plane is being hijacked.”

But it gets better (or worse, I suppose). After the first episode was diffused, Lambert later got up again, this time trying to take her luggage and her pet carrier into the bathroom. When flight attendants confronted her a second time, she said “…you are going to have to kill me and my dog.”

After a brief struggle, the nutcase was finally handcuffed, and, upon landing, turned over to San Francisco airport police. Thank goodness no one was hurt!

Two for the Space of One

by Dave Luna on

As a computer nerd, I’m doomed to walk the earth with as many electronic gadgets as possible. In fact, I was once questioned by Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport security why I had two MP3 players and two cell phones. In spite of that (almost) international incident, I think there has never been a better time than now for gadgety-type traveling.

Companies today are marketing products that can charge multiple devices in multiple environments with just one plug. This means one less Blackberry plug in your carry-on and more space for souvenirs!

Gomadic markets a number of two-device chargers for use in either home or auto. These chargers support cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players. About $40 to $50.

iGo sells dual-device power adapters that can be used on airplanes, on AC current, and in cars. They have models that can charge laptops in addition to a small device like a phone, MP3 player, or PDA. Ranges from $30 to $120.

Finally, the VersaCharger PRO consolidates all of your USB device chargers into one small adapter usable on a plane, in a car, or in a hotel. Around $25 to $30.

By the way, you get extra points if you attach any one of the previously mentioned chargers to the Tumi adaptor Erik mentioned. (Oh, and check the comments of that post to see cheaper Tumi alternatives.)