Cell Phones Pop Corn, Toast Brains: Health Blog
Do cell phones really cause brain cancer? Are they safe? As increasing numbers of people give up land lines and use their cells instead, these questions become more pressing -- or at least, they should. But walk into any café and you'll see half the patrons chatting away on their Razors; or drive down the highway while commuters zoom past with phones to their ears; or observe mobs of kids on the street text-messaging and talking on fashion-phones.
By 2005, the number of cell-phone users worldwide had reached 2.4 billion. A recent Pew survey found that 75 percent of US adults own cell phones, and that more Americans would have trouble giving up their cell phones than any other piece of technology they owned, including their television, land line, or computer. Cell phones are everywhere, and we use them a lot.
If your cell has become as close to you as your wallet, here's something to consider. According to videos circulating on the net, cell phones emit enough radiation to pop corn. Seriously! Watch this video to see for yourself. Don't believe your eyes? Then watch another clip and then ask yourself: if a phone can make the corn go sizzle, what's it doing to your brain? Are the videos real or a hoax? It doesn't matter. They serve to focus attention on a serious issue.
As you may know, there's a disturbing body of evidence indicating a link between cell phone use and brain cancer--but many sources discount that evidence. In their corner, they have several impressive studies indicating that cell phones pose no dangers at all. But look closely at that research, and you'll typically find flawed methodology. For instance, a Danish study of 420,000 cell-phone users found no evidence of cancer risk, but the subjects included people who made just one call per week, and the study also included data from 1982 when calls tended to be very brief because they were so expensive, unlike today. It also excluded commercial cell phone users --in other words, the heaviest users.
On the other side of the argument is research linking cell phone use to genetic damage. A study last year at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel determined that even 10 minutes of cell-phone use led to changes in how brain cells divide, triggering the formation of tumors and leading to a 58-percent increased risk of parotid gland tumors . And a 2006 study out of the Swedish National Institute for Working Life discovered that heavy cell-phone users stood a 240-percent increased risk of developing a cancerous tumor on the side of the head where they used their phone. A 2005 study at Guru Nanak Dev University, in India, found heightened risk of genetic damage, and ditto for a 13-nation study sponsored by the World Health Organization.
Because of the weight of evidence on both sides, most sources consider the jury still out on the safety issue. If you want to believe cell phones are safe, you can find supporting data. If you choose to believe they pose a threat, there's plenty of evidence, too. But meanwhile, there's the popcorn video to consider, and the evidence of your own senses. Some of us, at least, notice tingling or headaches after even brief cell-phone use. Still, we've developed the cell-phone habit and kicking it seems unthinkable -- head tingling be damned. So we hope for the best and use headsets just in case.
And Bluetooth headsets do indeed emit much lower levels of radiation than the phones. If you hold your phone far from your body when using a Bluetooth, you're probably better off than if you hold the phone right to your ear or against your body, as your internal organs absorb radiation too. Some sources, though, say even Bluetooth poses significant dangers, perhaps even greater than the phones themselves since the transmitter sits closer to the brain than the phone does.
It seems wise, given the conflicting evidence, to be prudent about using your cell. Use it only when you must, use the speakerphone if at all possible, and keep it far away from your body. Certainly, keep it out of your pants pocket next to anything you may value. You can invest in a relatively inexpensive product to shield you from cell-phone radiation. Don't give a cell to your kids, for goodness sakes, until the results are in about long-term effects. And take a cue from a June 3 article in the New York Times that quotes three prominent neurosurgeons who recently appeared on Larry King Live.
Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University, says, "I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear." His less-cautious colleague, Dr. Keith Black of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, says, "I think the safe practice is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain."
I tend to agree that any device capable of popping corn (even as a joke) belongs nowhere near my little gray cells, lest my brain end up fried, just like in the old anti-drug commercial. And indeed the drug commercial seems apropos, because cell-phones may well be the addiction of our era. We won't give up the phone even though we suspect it might be bad for us, we want it above other toys, we want it attached to us every day, all day, and we get the shakes if we find ourselves without it.
:hc
Comments
This is your brain. This is your brain next to a cellphone. This is popcorn. This is popcorn popping next to a cellphone.
Any questions?
Gotta call BS on this one.
1. Cellphone frequencies are not correct for boiling water (needed to pop popcorn)
2. Cellphone do not emit enough power to pop popcorn (boil the water), especially in 10 seconds (it takes a minute in my 500 W microwave that _is_ optimized for boiling water)
3. The cellphones are somewhat randomly placed and can not possibly be placed well enough for any standing wave effects.
4. The cellphone would need to all be at the same frequency. CDMA (Sprint, Verizon, etc) and GSM (Cingular/ATT, T-Mobile, etc.) use different frequencies and different waveforms. All phones would need to be using the same wavelength and waveforms.
5. Multiplexing of the signals to and from the towers would also reduce any chance of positive reinforcement of the signals.
Bottom line: The videos are a hoax. Use real research to get people thinking about cellphone effects, not viral vids from youtube.
JT:
You're missing the point of the blog. The reference to the popcorn videos was for your entertainment and to focus discussion on a serious issue, the actual dangers associated with cell phone usage. Bottom line: the data (no the popcorn videos) indicating the dangers associated with cell phones is comprehensive, compelling, and not so easily dismissed. Chill out and enjoy the videos for what they are. Oh, and stop using your cell phone so much. It may be affecting your sense of humor.
Jon-
It is disingenuous to use the videos as a lure to start the conversation. Basic physics shows that these videos, as well as the 'egg cooked by cellphones' videos, are out and out hoaxes. That is NOT a good way to lead into a discussion about the legitimate concerns people may have about cellphone usage. There are valid scientific studies which provide results which support both sides of the issue. Many people will not see the 'humor' in the videos, but will take them at face value.
While I agree there are some studies which provides results which indicate subtle effects due to cell phone radiation levels, there are many others which show no effects. Hysteria is not a good way to proceed to good scientific discussion.
P.S. My sense of humor is quite intact.. not to worry. There's lots to laugh at still in this world. ;-)
Um...
In the movie Rattatouile, a rat spoke and cooked excellent food.
Even though that movie was complete fiction, it brings up a very real problem. Are we possibly killing hyper-literate 5 star chefs when we kill rats?
In the movie, Candyman, saying "candyman" ten times in front of a mirror with the lights out causes evil to happen.
The movie is based on folklore, but shouldn't we warn our children about the possibility of unleashing pure, unadulterated evil into our homes at night?
Better safe than sorry, I always say!
Actually these things are quite fake. Cellphones don't utilize the same amount of energy as your microwave does, nor do they have the same components to cook popcorn. I'm afraid that you're being pranked, because every video regarding popcorn and cellphones has a table, and it's whatever lies under the table that is cooking the popcorn, and not the cellphones.
Michael,
Apparently they don't care. Note that the title of the blog entry remains unchanged. If Jon was serious in his assertion that the videos were "for your entertainment and to focus discussion on a serious issue", I would hope that both the content and the title of the blog entry would be changed.
Forget the wacky youtube videos and read this text from the link to the NYT article:
"...The F.D.A. notes, however, that the average period of phone use in the studies it cites was about three years, so the research doesn’t answer questions about long-term exposures. Critics say many studies are flawed for that reason, and also because they do not distinguish between casual and heavy use.
Cellphones emit non-ionizing radiation, waves of energy that are too weak to break chemical bonds or to set off the DNA damage known to cause cancer. There is no known biological mechanism to explain how non-ionizing radiation might lead to cancer.
But researchers who have raised concerns say that just because science can’t explain the mechanism doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. Concerns have focused on the heat generated by cellphones and the fact that the radio frequencies are absorbed mostly by the head and neck. In recent studies that suggest a risk, the tumors tend to occur on the same side of the head where the patient typically holds the phone..."
Let's all just forget about the precautionary principle and ignore the studies showing correlation between cell phone use and health problems. Yeah, I know, correlation does not equal causation, but that brings me back to the precautionary principle....
I have to agree with everything JT says, and thank him for stating the rational and the obvious so eloquently.
heck.. i tried it.. but it didt work.. definitely a hoax video from youtube...
Where in the word did you get this info from you are so full of crap! You are listeniung to the goverment again arn't you? LOL they do not know anything wht is good for you as they still think war is the right thing fo you. You need o do a lot more researces on this as it is si wrong for you ro say crap like this without proof!
im concerned because i use the damm
thing for hours on end blame the unlimited
calling plan.
John
www.sowhite.com
I will go with the New York Times article that is linked. I don't think we know enough. It is probably safe to be safe.
His study has no basis for scientific merit and I find his credibility pretty lax considering he is using You Tube videos as reference.
It's like saying a lead pencil will give you lead poisoning. In case some of you don't know, it's actually wax and graphite in a pencil.
More fear mongering on the internet. Let’s write a blog about something I know little about, do minimal research, and use bogus videos to further my claim. Aren’t these the same tactics George W. Bush used in getting us to Iraq? People are sure mad at him. Stick to facts and leave plausibility out of it. Don’t you have enough to worry about these days anyway?
http://www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp
Cellphones popping popcorn or cooking eggs is a hoax. Check out the URL listed to see the truth.
"Are the videos real or a hoax? It doesn't matter. They serve to focus attention on a serious issue."
Not true. It _does_ matter, because you start a debate about an issue (safety of cellphone use) with an item of 'information' (this video). People will remember this information, even if later it is proven to be a hoax (which my professional opinion says it must be - and if you don't believe me, why doesn't your ear get sizzling hot when you phone? It is even nearer the antenna than your brain!).
When a false rumor is started, it is almost impossible to put it back in the bottle. So it _is_ important whether this video is a hoax, and even more important that it is stated clearly that it is a hoax. Otherwise the attention you focus is improperly biased, and people will continue to use it as a demonstration of the "harm" of cellphones when it (almost certainly) shows no such thing.
See also http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/06/cellphones-cant.html for debunking of this myth
I had bad headaches for some time,I am a constant cell phone user, for my biz.I put some sort of chip on my phone and they went away! I am old enough to remember when smoking used to be promted as a product that was good for you. the wireless industry is big big business, do you think they can give a crap about my headaches or anyone else suffering form this electro-pollution. to those of you that think there is no problem, enjoy the slow burn!
Awesome article! Good job =)
So do you mean to say its going to be a little longer until my popcorn is ready?
"Cellphones popping popcorn or cooking eggs is a hoax."
Try to use only GSM phones and you'll see :(
one more http://stopumts.nl/english.php
JT makes a good point. I'll nit-pick on the scientific facts though:
The radio frequency that is used by cellphones is irrelevant to the concern of dielectric heating (the effect exhibited by a microwave oven); that seems to suggest resonance which isn't the case here. Any microwave frequency, whether it's down near 900 MHz all the way up to 2.4 GHz, is capable of causing RF heating effects. The real consideration with frequencies is that lower frequencies (i.e. longer wavelengths) can penetrate food (or body tissues) a little deeper. Sorry to be anal-retentive on that one.A cell phone cannot cause RF heating effects for two primary reasons: The fraction of the power necessary, and the fact that a cell phone's energy propagates away in all directions and thus is not focused on any particular body part. A microwave oven encloses food in a metal cage that acts like a room of mirrors for the microwaves, so that almost all of the energy is focused on the food. Additionally, it uses many thousands of times the power.
It is true that cell phones causing health effects is a source of debate, but there are a few things to consider, from technical up to societal. I'll elaborate:
The radio energy leaving a cell phone propagates away in all directions, and thus only a fraction of that energy is actually striking the body, and that microwave radiation is very, very low. Comparing a cell phone's transmitter to the magnetron of a microwave is like comparing a slingshot to an M-16 rifle -- the comparison is just not there. Additionally, microwaves are just electromagnetic energy, and thus the radiation is non-ionizing ... which leads me to my next point.
When people hear "radiation" and "microwaves," images of radioactivity, cancer, and long-term health detriments pop into their minds. There's the actual scientific distinction, and then there's the general understanding. Let's put this cell phone scare into perspective -- why is it that we're frightened of low-power cell phones, but no one ever advises people to avoid driving near radio stations? Sure, those radio waves aren't microwaves per se, but they are still the electromagnetic radiation, except pumping out a signal with tens of thousands of watts (a cell phone is restricted to less than 3 watts). If RF signals in the microwave category is the crucial aspect of the scare, then let's consider the explosion of wireless networks. Wireless networks and all the computing devices that communicate with them are generating microwave radiation - and Wi-Fi has become extremely popular, seeing an explosion similar to what cell phones have done. I have yet to see any concern regarding the use of such devices. Continuing this point, why are they only cell phones -- no one mentions cordless phones, which also use microwaves.
Perhaps there have been some convincing studies that show it either way. But this just makes it inconclusive. In my personal opinion, I think any study that has revealed cell phones to be dangerous is intrinsically flawed because they don't seem to account for the fact that all people, everywhere, by virtue of being on Earth at this time in history, are enveloped by electromagnetic radiation, long waves and short waves, strong output and low output. I would consider these studies to be exceptionally difficult to properly control.
I think all the studies, either way, are good information and everyone should weigh both sides for themselves. However, I consider any attempt to either cause a cell phone scare, or at least an attempt to profit from such a scare, is irresponsible and scientifically baseless.
I found out who made these little movies showing popcorn and cell phones. It’s an ad from CardoSystems. Check their vid on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/CardoWireless
Very good miblaker18! So it really was a cellphone company -- initially I wondered if a major popcorn manufacturer was behind all this.
Here's CardoSystems disclaimer about the videos:
"The contents of these videos are fictitious and humorous optical illusions, designed for entertainment. Nothing in these videos is meant to imply that mobile phones can make popcorn and Cardo Systems, Inc. ("Cardo") specifically disclaims that these videos contain any portrayal of facts or comments about safety. Cardo disclaims any liability for the information in these videos."Well no one can deny that their viral strategy worked. But I still consider it to be socially irresponsible. Something tells me that their disclaimer hasn't received millions of views. As a Google search will reveal, plenty of people took the videos seriously. It's all in good fun, I'm sure. But I had expected it to be from a casual person with good video editing skills who wanted their 15 minutes of fame. The fact that it's from a corporation is just ... a little slimy.
I stand corrected on the resonant frequencies. Too little research on my part there. The power considerations are pretty overwhelming, I agree. I am still concerned that the tone of the article and the title remain unchanged and, essentially misleading.
There was a link above to a somewhat reactionary site in the Netherlands(?... a .nl site) that mentions WIFI and other sources of microwave radiation also. I was somewhat concerned by their confusing mixture of units (milliwatts, microwatts, several orders of magnitudes, etc.) and found their conclusions very alarmist.
Anyway, I am busy with many other things and will leave this discussion for the rest of you... enjoy ;-)
JT: I agree with you that this article seems ambiguous: it makes a couple statements that implies a neutral stance, but is entitled "Cell Phones Pop Corn, Toast Brains" - if I may be frank, this seems to be worded in a way that will simply increase hits on the site.
I did read that link you're referencing. It does mention Wi-Fi and other sources of microwaves. To clarify what I said earlier, I've yet to see the kind of widespread concern about cell phones apply to other sources of microwaves -- I've seen several media programs that headline cell phone dangers. That article is not only poorly written, but jumps to conclusions that are best described as you put it: alarmist. For example: "When the exposure has been long enough sensitivity seems to increase and even levels as low as 10 uW/m2, or even 1 uW/m2 can cause symptoms." In other words, after extended exposure, even a microwatt (a billionth of a watt, if I'm not mistaken) per meter squared can cause symptoms. Being blunt again, I think this is an outrageous claim.
I'll also get back to my tasks and let the discussion continue - but I'll close with this quotation borrowed from the World Health Organization:
"None of the recent reviews have concluded that exposure to the RF fields from mobile phones or their base stations causes any adverse health consequence." However, WHO acknowledges gaps in knowledge and had therefore initiated further research into the issue. I think it's fair to consider the topic an open issue - but scare tactics and misleading information (like that Netherlands article JT referenced) should be regarded with skepticism until conclusive results are known.I thank you for your responses, and I also thank the blog owner for displaying this enlightening discussion.
Hey Everyone:
I have to admit, it's great fun reading all the comments on my blog, but let's get real for a moment. There's nothing ambiguous about the blog. The reference to the popcorn videos was merely to use them as an attention grabber and as a launching point for a discussion on cellphones. Out of 11 paragraphs, only one and a fraction reference the popcorn videos. If anyone thinks the blog is about popcorn, they're obsessing.
The major argument against cellphones being a health risk is that no one can explain how they might be causing problems. But as researchers who have raised concerns point out, just because science can’t explain the mechanism doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. (For that matter, can anyone of you say for sure what causes cancer? I don't think so. But I also don't think any of you doubt that people get cancer.) In any case, in recent studies on cellphones that suggest a risk, the tumors tend to occur on the same side of the head where the patient typically holds the phone. True, the studies are observational, showing only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship. Nevertheless, some of the research suggests a link between cellphone use and three types of tumors: glioma; cancer of the parotid, a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain. True, these cancers are rare so far, so even if there is a risk, it may be low. Then again, last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology published data from Israel finding a 58 percent higher risk of parotid gland tumors among heavy cellphone users. Also last year, a Swedish analysis of 16 studies in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed a doubling of risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma after 10 years of heavy cellphone use.
That may not be enough of a link to convince many of you, but it seems to be enough for a number of neurosurgeons to go public with their concerns -- and to state that they will no longer hold their cellphones to their heads. Finally, for those of you who are interested, you might want to look at Dr. Vini Khurana's report on the issue. Dr. Khurana is an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University. http://www.brain-surgery.us/mobph.pdf. Observing from the POV of the neurosurgeon who is seeing these brain tumors first hand, he is more than a little concerned.
Title of the Article:
Cell Phones Pop Corn, Toast Brains: Health Blog
The quote referred to by Jon:
According to videos circulating on the net, cell phones emit enough radiation to pop corn. Seriously! Watch this video to see for yourself. Don't believe your eyes? Then watch another clip and then ask yourself: if a phone can make the corn go sizzle, what's it doing to your brain?
Jon's comments:1. There's nothing ambiguous about the blog.
2. If anyone thinks the blog is about popcorn, they're obsessing.
While it is true that you, Jon, mention that this is 'just to focus attention', you also have kept the title the same and not removed any of the confusing and misleading statements. There is ambiguity in the blog entry if on one hand the title and a portion of it indicate that cellphone can pop popcorn and other portions indicate that it may be a hoax.
Recent developments have shown that it was indeed a 'viral video' posted by a major bluetooth headset manufacturer.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/94863
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/06/bluetooth-compa.html
Again, if you focused on the legitimate, non-fanatic concerns that are out there, your article would find itself less a target. As it is, your lack of response with regard to the title and content, in the face of overwhelming (and now confirmed) evidence that the original videos were fakes is very telling.
It is true that most research has focused on the non-ionizing radiation from cellphones, and results are mixed. The Precautionary Principle is, essentially: unless you know for SURE that it's safe, don't use it.
However, there has been very LITTLE research on the associated MAGNETIC FIELD effects which all electromagnetic waves generate. In studies of childhood leukemia associated with living near high-voltage lines or power towers, there is a direct correlation between patterns of incidence of leukemia and children's proximity to the power lines. The influence is not the electrical part of the wave, which follows the inverse square law (twice the distance away = one fourth of the power), but the magnetic field effects, which can affect cell growth dramatically.
On independent radio KPFA, I heard a Canadian research scientist discuss this topic. He said that most research on cellphones has been sponsored by cell phone companies, and of course most corporate sponsored research comes out in favor of the corporation's point of view. There has been VERY LITTLE research into the magnetic field effects on cells, and his research shows that cells, especially growing cells, are VERY POWERFULLY impacted by small currents generating magnetic fields.
We need government sponsored independent research - and there simply isn't any. The corporations are willing to pay, but our own government is not. I recommend using the precautionary principle. Buy a corded cellphone headset that creates sound via a good old-fashioned speaker that moves air with a magnet (uh-oh) and a paper cone.
How about this video raw egg removed from shell, placed in glass bowl next to two cellphones . watch the video at 2 minutes
a small white spot appears that gradually gets bigger , and black spots form is the egg being cooked ? how is this possible ?
Hi Barry:
Nope, you can't cook an egg with a cellphone anymore than you can pop popcorn. The same principles apply. However, just because the videos are hoaxes and you can't cook with cellphones, does not mean that cellphones are harmless. As I pointed out above, although the exact mechanism through which cellphones harm the brain may be unknown, the statistical evidence that they do so is starting to become overwhelming. Just because we don't know how it harms brain tissue (it doesn't cook it) doesn't mean it doesn't harm it.The egg video, though, like the popcorn video, is a great attention grabber. Thanks for sharing it.
I'd just like to remind everyone that DDT was harmless, cigarettes were good for you (helps digestion!), fen-phen was a safe way to lose weight, and chopping down every tree in the forest somehow didn't damage rivers or cause erosion. Turns out none of these things were true. "Not proven dangerous" is not the same thing as "proven safe", not by a long shot. The precautionary principle, as someone cited above. Cell phone towers, for example, are being investigated as a cause of Colony Colapse Disorder in honeybees. A little thoughtful caution can prevent a lot of trouble. But that isn't how we Americans roll!
Cell phones are very dangerous. I personally stopped using my cell phone to protect my life. My husband and everyone I know do not believe that it has negative effects, but I feel it very strongly every time I use the cell phone. Over the year the symptoms have become stronger and they kick in quicker. First it started by minor "light head" feeling, then headaches that I couldn't pin down. When I finally made the connection that it came from the cell phone and I paid more attention, I realized what was happening. This started about 8 years ago, I called the phone company that provided my service and they laughed at me saying cell phones are safe and they never heard of it causing headaches. A friend of mine from Europe was the only one who believed me and said that he knows another guy who has symptoms like mine. Over the years the symptoms got worse and worse, now if I am even close to a cell phone the side of my face gets very hot, my tongue numbs and the headache lasts about 2 days. I now turn off my phone and check messages from land line, and I do not sit in a car where anyone else is using a cell phone.
Here is a related and interesting article from DailyIndia that some people would argue is fear mongering but what if it is true?
During the summer of 2005 I used my cell phone for long periods of time (two plus hours a day). As a result I began feeling a tightness within my head. It went away during the winter when I reduced cell phone use. The same thing occured during the summer of 2006, a tightness whithin my head, which stopped that winter. Then it started again durning the the summer of 2007. I have seen three different doctors that all say that there is no connection with cell phone use and my problem. Now in 2008 I have a constant tightness accompanied with headaches that dont go away. I have stopped putting the cell phone against my head but the tightness & headaches have not gone away. I am in the progress of scheduling of having my doctor schedule some internal brain exams. Am I too late ? Leroy M ..... Lmurr3@gmail.com
This is surely an interesting blog, and lots of emotional comments. I tend to agree with Jon, who cares about the videos, let's focus on the real issue at hand -- are cell phones dangerous?
BTW - maybe Jon used an overly sensitive attention grabber, true, but the issue at hand remains. Then again, if people actually believe that video, then maybe they have had too much cell phone exposure!
The fact of the matter here is a lot of you people are just justifying the hell out of this issue because you consider your cell phone to be so vital to your everyday existence. Well all I got to say about that is if you consider a brain tumor a convience that you can live with... keep using it like a maniac but dont say you weren't warned. Do you really want to be a guinea pig in a universal experiment (considering over 3 billion people now have cell phones) when you dont know the end result? The evidence is clear that cell phones are a legitimate threat to your health over the long term and many of the studies you mention that show no effect are those instituted or funded by industry sources in part or in full(where the result will be manufactured and totally negating the true scientific approach to finding out more on the issue).
I can't believe you fell for that popcorn hox and published the above comments on something purely unfactual. Has anyone seen any green little men too?
The Hoax was digitally created by erasing the kernals of corn then dropping in popped corn and showing them only on the upward bounce.