The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff to limit cellphone use because of the possible risk of cancer.
The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cellphone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. FDA.
Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.
“Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Herberman said.
In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff, he says children should use cellphones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing. He added that adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset. He even warns against using cellphones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone’s electromagnetic fields.
Source: USA Today, 23 July 2008
Chapter: Cancer,EMF/EMR :: 14 August 2008
