Does this sound familiar?
- Nearly everyone uses it
- Has wide social acceptance
- Highly habit forming
More hints:
- More and more studies come out documenting harm from the product
- Product manufacturer denies dangers
Sure sounds like the tobacco industry, doesn't it? Well, it would appear the cellular phone industry is repeating the same path. We all know that history has a tendency to repeat itself, and that certainly seems to be the case here.
Critics claim the cell phone industry, just like the tobacco industry (Big Tobacco), seems determined to prevent and deny any suggestion that its products might be dangerous; however, years of negative research may prove otherwise.
For example, one study showed that radio waves from mobile phones definitely damage DNA and other cells in the body, and that the damage extended to the next generation of cells. Another research case in particular delivered quite a blow to the cell phone industry: The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association hired a man to head up a $28-million research program into possible health effects from cellular phones. Findings revealed that heavy cell phone users experienced:
- An increased rate of brain cancer deaths
- Development of tumors
- Genetic damage
Ironically, the cell phone industry has not commissioned another large-scale study, at least not publicly, since. Why? Because the cell phone industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry that can't afford to find out that, ultimately, cell phones are dangerous. Moreover, similar to Big Tobacco, the cell phone industry will be opened up to large liability claims if they were to start issuing warnings and precautionary tales now, which opens up the possibility that they knew the danger of radio waves all along.
CNET.com March 8, 2005