Cell Phones and Cancer - Round X

As reported on CNN (Cancer expert warns employees on cell phones, 7/23/2008), Dr Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, has advised against the use of cell phones by employees, citing that it may possibly cause cancer. Here we go again.....

This type of grandstanding by a official should not be tolerated by the academic, medical or scientific communities. It does nothing but confuse the general public and further degrade the reports of legitimate scientists (which Dr. Herberman is suppose to represent!). Reports like this one often go viral over the web, and most often get distorted in many ways. I predict that the National Enquirer will soon start to blame all of the celebrity problems in the news on the use of cell phones. If I was on the staff of this Institute, I would be asking some tough questions of my leadership.

Is it possible that the use of cell phones may increase the risk of certain types of cancer? There is always a possibility - even though multiple published reports have discounted this idea. There may be physiological and genetic factors that predispose some individuals to certain forms of cancer, and these people may use cell phones, but that does not really mean that the cell phone caused the cancer. Should additional studies be performed? ..... maybe, especially if it covers some area of study that has been neglected in a previous study, including the effects on youn brains. Herberman contends that we can't wait for the scientific process to examine the link..... and he is the head of a major scientific cancer institute? Something doesn't sound right.

I wonder if Dr Herberman drives to work in a car..... after all, we know for certain that cars kill over 40,000 Americans per year, and that the emissions from automobiles are killing additional thousands per year (as reported by the World Health Organization)....but I don't hear any outcry about that from Dr Herberman.

For a more detailed report - see the AP report "Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks"