Something Had Gone Terribly Wrong – Page 2

And what is not reported remains significant as well. George Carlo, PhD, JD, who was tapped by then FDA-commissioner David Kessler, MD to fashion the protocol and then complete the study of the effects of cell phones on human health and who is the former chairman of the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunictions Industry Association) Wireless Technology Research Program, has since 1993 unsuccessfully tried to alert the wireless industry that steps needed to be taken to protect consumers. In 1999 he met with the board of the CTIA and subsequently sent a letter to the A, T, & T chairman and CEO October 7, 1999 stating the following:
“The rate of death from brain cancer among handheld phone users was higher than the rate of brain cancer death among those who used non-handheld phones that were away from their head;
The risk of acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor of the auditory nerve that is well in range of the radiation coming from a phone’s antenna, was fifty percent higher in people who reported using cell phones for six years or more, moreover, that relationship between the amount of cell phone use and this tumor appeared to follow a dose-response curve;
The risk of rare neuro epithelial tumors on the outside of the brain was more than doubled, a statistically significant risk increase, in cell phone users as compared to people who did not use cell phones;
There appeared to be some correlation between brain tumors occurring on the right side of the head and the use of the phone on the right side of the head…
Today, I sit here extremely frustrated and concerned that appropriate steps have not been taken by the wireless industry to protect consumers…
Alarmingly, indications are that some segments of the industry have ignored the scientific findings suggesting potential health effects, have repeatedly and falsely claimed that wireless phones are safe for all consumers including children, and have created an illusion of responsible follow up by calling for and supporting more research.” Click here to read Dr. Carlo’s letter .
While many may say “this cell phone study is an isolated incident”, there is growing body of evidence from top-flight experts such as Dr. Carlo and others that that is not true. Electro sensitivity from use of cell phones has now entered the medical community as a collection of symptoms related to their use. The overlooked fact is simply “We don’t know what the long term use of cell phones means to a generation or those who mothers and grandmothers as well as fathers and grandfathers used cell phones. We simply don’t know what it will mean to those who started using cell phones at early ages” (yes, look around at the cute 4-year olds with cell phones on their ears).
It is vitally important that we recognize our use of cell phones, of medications to address depression, to lower cholesterol, to control blood sugar, to help blood pressure readings meet a certain new normal has never been put to scientific study. We are the experiment. Our children are the experiment. And right now we don’t know why one in six American children are learning and behaviorally challenged. At one time we erred on the side of caution. Pregnant women were rarely, if ever, prescribed medications. Children were rarely, if ever, prescribed medication. That has gone by the wayside. And, we won’t know the results of these changes for many years to come.
We have dramatically changed our lifestyles. We don’t eat the same fats or the same grains eaten just 5-6 decades ago. Preservatives, additives, colorings, synthetic sweeteners are new within that time. The widespread use of pesticides on crops, in homes, in schools, and on yards has occurred within the time period. Farm animals within the past 5-6 decades are raised in a radically different manner than for thousands of previous years. We are exposed to phthalates, PCBs, plastics, chemicals, organophosphates, and chlorine products on a daily basis from a myriad of sources. We are less active, much more likely to watch TV, to surf the Web, to use various forms of technology than connect with nature.
And, we cannot rely on the experts and the studies to tell us how our lifestyle changes may affect our health and those of all subsequent generations.