Better Safe than Sorry

Better Safe than Sorry

Ted Folkert

April 19, 2018

While you have that cellphone up to your ear, put it down for a while so you can consider some critical information about the possibility of each conversation on that device shortening your life. Not shortening your life due to receiving bad news, or wasted energy, or wasted time, or physical responses you may receive for insulting whomever you may be talking with.

No, shortening your life due to possible cancer-causing radiation from the cell phone antenna, which is widely believed to be a threat by many scientists, some of whom that told the wireless industry executives in the 1990s that such radiation may cause brain tumors.

After charges that a lethal brain tumor had been caused by cell phone use, a study was conducted by epidemiologist George Carlo, selected by Thomas Wheeler, leader of the cellular industry. According to Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie of The Nation magazine, Carlo notified the industry leaders that “the risk of rare neuro-epithelial tumors on the outside of the brain was more than double in cell phone users – and an apparent correlation between brain tumors occurring on the right side of the head and the use of the phone on the right side of the head and the ability of the radiation from a phone’s antenna to cause functional genetic damage was definitely positive.”

Of course, Wheeler publicly denounced Carlo’s findings in the press immediately and denied that there could be any such correlation. He proceeded to refute such accusations aggressively with public denouncements disparaging the credibility of George Carlo.

Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie relate this denial of Carlo’s findings to similar denials in two of the most notorious cases of corporate deception on record: the dangers of smoking and climate change. Tobacco executives were told that smoking was deadly and fossil fuel executives were told that burning oil, gas, and coal would cause a catastrophic temperature rise. Then, during a Congressional hearing, as most of us will recall, all the tobacco executives stood with right hands raised, indicating sworn testimony, that smoking does not cause cancer – and one can imagine that not a one of them believed that to which they were swearing. They all took one for the team – save the career and the profits at all costs – integrity be damned, human health and human lives be damned.

In all three of the above cases the leaders of the respective industries went to great lengths to deny and disprove the allegations, opting to protect their lucrative industries for their own benefit and that of their stockholders at the expense of the general welfare and safety of the populous.

Although the research continues, cell phones have not been proven to emit radiation which causes tumors or cancer. Much of the research points that way but none has been confirmed precisely. Now that “5g” technology is becoming available the likelihood may be even greater.

Regardless of the lack of definitive proof, it seems wise to keep the phone away from your head – use the speaker phone, Bluetooth, or text message capabilities – better to be safe than sorry.

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