Cancer Report Warns of Environmental Radiation

Are Cellular Transmissions Eco-Carcinogens?

The American Presidential Cancer Advisers* reported recently that Americans are facing environmental pollutants like never before: industrial chemicals, radon gases, and radiation from medical procedures all top the list as environmental carcinogens. They went on to say that the federal government should be doing much more to protect the public from these pollutants.

Mobile phone technology, however, was portrayed as belonging to a “grey area” in cancer-causing environmental contaminants. Cellular transmissions as eco-carcinogens are apparently left out of the equation until “more is known”.

This obviously raises the question in my mind as to how much the cell phone lobbies have been working behind the scenes making sure that the report did not shine the spotlight on them too much.

Because cancer is second only to heart disease as the leading cause of death in Americans, the Cancer Advisory Report is hallmark. The report blatantly points to environmental factors as being a central cancer cause in America.

“The incidence of some cancers, including some most common among children, is increasing for unexplained reasons,” the report reads.

In the report, lifestyle choices were blamed for many cancers, but environmental pollutants, like radon gases from the soil, chemicals from industry and radiation from medical imaging scans are designated as potentially responsible for the development of cancer.

Increases in cancer may not be from lifestyle choices alone.

Since the report mentions the “unexplained reasons” for the increase in cancer, it seems logical to assume that something that we are doing or that is happening in the environment is contributing to the proliferation of cancers.

In looking at environmental contributory factors, cell phones, Wi-Fi and EMF exposure are noticeably under-emphasized as potential causes for cancer, citing the viewpoint that not enough is currently known about the dangers of low-level radiation to human health.

“People would be prudent to wear headsets and make calls quickly”, was all the advisers would say with regard to the dangers of telecommunication pollution. This cursory warning implies that they are aware of reseach that shows a link to cell phones are brain cancer.

Still, the advisory committee was adamant in its message about environmental emission control in general:

Written in a letter to President Barack Obama at top of the report was this statement: “The American people — even before they are born — are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures,”

“The panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health-care costs, cripple our nation's productivity, and devastate American lives.”

The panel delineated several steps that should be taken to mitigate environmental “bombardment”. These include improving and augmenting research on environmental pollutants, raising public awareness of environmental exposure risks, eliminating all but the most essential medical imaging tests and addressing toxic exposures caused by the US military. *

For me, there is a very glaring omission from these steps. I would like to see an addendum to the Cancer Committee report: Increased attention should also be given to the growing problem of radiation exposure from cellular technology. This potent form of radiation, because it is so widespread, is creating more and more EMFs in our environment.

Electromagnetic frequency radiation is only going to get worse without some form of regulatory management. Warnings about the health risks of mobile phones and possible restrictions to their use should be implemented . Limits on the number of cell phone masts and density in a particular location should also be observed, and the level of the frequencies being emitted should be modified to a safer calibration.

Mobile phone radiation exposure, played down by the telecommunications industry, certainly causes cancer and many other illnesses as surely as medical x-ray exposure, chemical pollutants and military toxic exposure. It should be treated just like any other environmental threat to human health: as an eco-carcinogen.

For my 12 tips on how to protect yourself from cell phone radiation click here.

Reference: * The National Cancer Institute, accessed May, 9, 2010, http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp.htm and http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf