Cell Phones

[ydoaPs]

Do they really cause cancer?

[DreamLord]

I know they do emit radiofrequency radiation, but I'm almost positive they don't give off enough to actually give anyone cancer. That was probably just some wierd rumour.

[pulkit]

There was a front page news item a couple of months back that said cell phones lead to drop in sperm count, if you carry them in your pocket. There is radiation emitted and studies showed a reduction upto 30%.

[paganinio]

I don't use cellphone now:)

I think cellphone has potential danger to our health.

[pulkit]

I thought about stoppping to use it, but then I use my cellphone a lot more than my land line, so I can't give it up (

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Cell phones do emit some radiation, but you could also say cordless phones (the ones with a base) do to, because to communicate with their base station they use microwaves. So you microwave your head, at low power.

There's also a myth that a cell phone will ignite gasoline at a gas station, so they tell you not to have them on when you're filling up. It's a myth.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-cellphone-gas-fires.htm

http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

Also it was on MythBusters.

(added evidence to satisfy sayo)

[Sayonara]

If you're going to tell people that something like that is a myth, you should probably back it up with some solid evidence.

[Kedas]

Using a cell phone a lot is bad for your health, that's a fact.

That a cell phone can ignite gasoline, or even explode, that's a fact.

That cell phones have been wrongly brought forward as 'the reason' in some cases. that is a fact.

Thinking that cellphones are safe to use in any situation is stupid, That's also a fact.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

That a cell phone can ignite gasoline' date=' or even explode, that's a fact.[/quote']

No it isn't. On MythBusters they tried igniting a chamber filled with a mix of air and gasoline, at the perfect mix for combustion, and it didn't blow up. No matter how hard they tried. Using two electrodes with a large amount of current going through them did.

[pulkit]

Cell phones do emit some radiation, but you could also say cordless phones (the ones with a base) do to, because to communicate with their base station they use microwaves. So you microwave your head, at low power.

 

The difference is that you don't need to carry a cord less in your trouser pockets for 10-12 hours a day, reduces the risk exponentially )

[Kedas]

some phone will easily generate a small spark inside some won't, age is also a factor.

 

BTW it's not that current that is doing it it's that small spark

[pulkit]

It is mostly adviced to switch of your cell phones at refill stations.

(I have seen it being discouraged in newspaper adverts)

I don't believe its a myth.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Read the links I posted.

[MolecularMan14]

alright but what if i use a headset? would that be any different, or would the emmisions still be carried to my head?

[Wolfman]

I dont know for a fact that cell phones cause canzer but I can beleive it. Everytime I forget and leave my cell phone next to the tv and it goes off the tv gets really bad reception so it definitely gives of something, so holding it next to your ear everyday for years could do something.

[atinymonkey]

It is mostly adviced to switch of your cell phones at refill stations.

(I have seen it being discouraged in newspaper adverts)

I don't believe its a myth.

 

It's not a myth that cell phones should not be used around gas stations. It simply that some cell phones interfere with the pumps themselves, and can cause the reading to jump. So I'm told by an engineer, anyway. It’s not to do with explosions, just the reading on the pump.

[Sayonara]

No it isn't. On MythBusters they tried igniting a chamber filled with a mix of air and gasoline, at the perfect mix for combustion, and it didn't blow up. No matter how hard they tried. Using two electrodes with a large amount of current going through them did.

How many kinds of phone did they test with?

[swansont]

There was a front page news item a couple of months back that said cell phones lead to drop in sperm count, if you carry them in your pocket. There is radiation emitted and studies showed a reduction upto 30%.

 

Got a link?

 

Was it a real, double-blind study, or was it just correlation? Could be that living the kind of lifestyle that makes you have a cellphone leads to lower sperm counts.

[MolecularMan14]

what about headsets? Ive realized the reception problem not only with TV's but also w/ comp monitors also

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

How many kinds of phone did they test with?

I'm not sure actually, but considering that there are also many other pages disproving it, I believe them.

They only showed on TV them trying 1, but they may have done several really.

In fact, Shell denies that there ever was a cell-phone related explosion at a gas station (the myth says it was at a Shell, as do the news articles). There are also claims where someone was on their phone at the time of the explosion, and that caused it, but more interviews showed it to be incorrect.

[ydoaPs]

I'm not sure actually' date=' but considering that there are also many other pages disproving it, I believe them.

They only showed on TV them trying 1, but they may have done several really.

In fact, Shell denies that there ever was a cell-phone related explosion at a gas station (the myth says it was at a Shell, as do the news articles). There are also claims where someone was on their phone at the time of the explosion, and that caused it, but more interviews showed it to be incorrect.[/quote']

 

perhaps said person kept entering and exiting their vehicle.

[LucidDreamer]

I know this is just poor anecdotal evidence, but several of my friends have told me that they get headaches after talking on cell phones all day. Also, some times it takes years for the scientist to link certain things to cancer.

[Sayonara]

I'm not sure actually, but considering that there are also many other pages disproving it, I believe them.

Thing is, it's not so much "disproving" it as it is "failing to prove it". The range of conditions found at petrol stations and the range of mobile technologies available make the ideal study somewhat complicated.

 

 

In fact, Shell denies that there ever was a cell-phone related explosion at a gas station (the myth says it was at a Shell, as do the news articles).

Well, Shell would deny it, wouldn't they?

In this case however Shell actually denied that a specific chain mail referred to actual events. Their assertion that no mobile phone ever caused an explosion cannot be anything other than an assurance - how would they know?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Well' date=' Shell would deny it, wouldn't they?

In this case however Shell actually denied that a [u']specific[/u] chain mail referred to actual events. Their assertion that no mobile phone ever caused an explosion cannot be anything other than an assurance - how would they know?

According to other sites, NO gas station explosion has been attributed to a cell phone. How do they know that? Well, they have a habit of investigating all of the explosions so they don't have gas stations blowing up left and right. So they ask all of the people that were there what they were doing. It seems that in none of the cases was anyone on a phone, or more accurately, they were not on the phone at the time of the explosion. It may be that they went in and out of the car to get their phone, thus building up a static charge, and then got blown up.

[Sayonara]

Yes, you can eliminate possibilities by running an investigation, but in the cases where the critical witnesses are crispy bites and any suspect phone is a puddle of dried goop there's not a lot you can do to establish if it was in use or not.

[edit] In other words, the only conclusions you can really expect to get from such an investigation are "no mobile was in use" and "unknown".

 

Seeing as petrol stations all over the UK have warning signs about mobile use, I'm going to assume there is a reason for them to be there that isn't "some spam told us they were bad".

I don't see a poorly conducted trial on a limited set of conditions by a television program with an "appeal to the middle layer" name to be anything approaching conclusive proof, and I think lives are far too precious to be casually informing people that they should potentially put themselves and others in a great deal of danger.