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dangerous posts

LG recalls 30,000 830 Spyder handsets for crappy 911 connections

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2009 @ 12:28AM

While things like copy and paste, multimedia messaging and video calling are nice extras to have, there's really only one thing that's most important when it comes to a reliable cellphone: the 911 functionality. Evidently, around 30,000 LG 830 Spyder handsets aren't having the easiest time dialing for help, with a product recall noting that a huge swath of 'em have "difficulty sustaining a connection or have poor voice quality on calls to emergency 911." It should be noted, however, that LG's actually being really, really proactive here, as it has only received a single report (and no injuries) to date. The Spyder phones affected have software versions T83LGV03 and T83LGV04, and you can hit the read link if you suspect yours is amongst that 30,000.

[Via textually]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, eyezapoppin! edition

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jan 15th 2009 @ 4:29PM

While you're totally in your rights to keep frettin' over brain tumors, it looks like your eyes are safe from the cellphone cancer -- at least until another study is released. According to a paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, a German study involving roughly 1,600 people has found no conclusive link between cellphone use and uveal melanoma. This contradicts an earlier, smaller study by the same researchers that suggested that there indeed might be a connection. Is that clear? It doesn't seem that a consensus will be reached on this subject any time soon, but for the morbidly curious we have years of cellphone / cancer hodgepodge for your perusal.

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, watch your kidneys edition

by Ross Miller posted Dec 29th 2008 @ 11:07AM

Believe it or not, this latest study on how cell phones are killing you doesn't invoke the dreaded c-word. Instead, scientists at the European Research Institute for Electronic Components in Bucharest found that exposing red blood cells to low-level radiation -- lower than what emanates from your mobile buddy, apparently -- caused them to leak hemoglobin, which they say can lead to kidney damage and heart disease. The Federation of the Electronics Industry have already come out swinging, saying there is still no consistent evidence the mobile devices are physically hurting us. If history tells us anything, expect to see a report in the near future on how inconclusive these findings are, followed by separate findings on how beneficial a healthy kick of radiation to the kidneys can be.

[Via textually]

E-waves chip to fend off mobile phone radiation, turn water to wine

by Darren Murph posted Dec 12th 2008 @ 8:02AM

Belgium's own Omega Pharma is setting out to do something phenomenal -- it's looking to sell a chip that it claims will "counter potentially damaging radiation from mobile phones." The outfit currently sells all sorts of non-prescription products (wart treatments, pregnancy tests, snake oil, etc.) to pharmacists, and it's hoping the E-waves phone chip will totally get the company name on the worldwide map. Reportedly, testing of the device showed that it "lessened symptoms such as headaches and loss of concentration that might be associated with mobile phone use," and if you believe that, it'll also lessen the amount of cash in your wallet by around $50. It seems the unit will launch strictly in Europe at first, but the outfit is ready and willing to produce as many millions as it needs to satisfy the sure-to-be-crazy demand.

[Via phonescoop]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous: leaky fillings edition

by Darren Murph posted Nov 17th 2008 @ 7:20PM

We're not even going to pretend we fully grasp what's going on here, but the long and short of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences' latest findings are that cellphones can trigger the release of mercury from one's fillings. Yes, seriously. The study asserts that out of 14 test subjects with fillings, those who used mobile phones had a statistically significant increase of mercury from urine tests than those who refrained from yapping. The science behind all of this is far beyond our IQ levels, but we're a little freaked out/not freaked out, regardless.

[Via textually]

Cellphone charger blamed for blaze in Delaware

by Darren Murph posted Sep 2nd 2008 @ 10:36PM

Details on this one are remarkably skimpy, but here are the facts as we know them. A fire caused around $30,000 worth of damage to a mobile home in Delaware this past week, but thankfully, the Millsboro and Indian River firefighters found no one home at the time of the incident. The culprit? A "malfunctioning cellphone charger that ignited the wall covering in a bedroom." That's it, folks -- no manufacturer, no brand name, nothing. In other words, unplug your chargers when you leave the house... or store your home in a fireproof safe, either one.

[Thanks, Carl]

Toronto's public health department recommends kids limit mobile use

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 19th 2008 @ 10:42PM

In case it wasn't already obvious that kids under the age of eight should be using cellphones strictly for emergencies, here's another reason: Toronto's public health department says so. In what might be a first in all of Canada, the agency is officially laying down recommendations that tykes be restricted to emergency calls and teens talk on their phones for no more than ten minutes at a time (good luck with that one) due to growing evidence that prolonged use could lead to brain tumors and other health-related unpleasantness later in life. Moving up the governmental food chain, Health Canada still officially recommends no restrictions, so the endless confusion over cellphone safety continues as usual.

[Thanks, Thierry]

Survey finds 37% of Gen Y-ers text while driving

by Darren Murph posted May 2nd 2008 @ 3:26PM

Oh sure, Americans are adamantly against texting while driving (in theory), but that's not stopping those mischievous Gen Y-ers from getting their SMS on while behind the wheel. According to a new survey of 1,200 people conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance (we know, we know), a third of the Gen Y-ers admitted to "always multitasking while driving," and while the "always" bit does indeed frighten us a tad, the real juice was in the next statistic: 37-percent said they sent text messages while driving. Before you start belaboring the imprudent youth, think long and hard about your own in-car cellphone usage -- remember that time you just had to reply "y w pep plz" in order to salvage your friend's pizza order? Tsk tsk.

[Via About]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, you're better off smoking edition

by Darren Murph posted Apr 1st 2008 @ 7:36PM

You've heard just how dangerous holding that cellphone upside your noggin is, but this time, the research is really for real. Reportedly, an award-winning cancer expert (Dr. Vini Khurana) has concluded that mobile phones -- in the long run -- could end up killing far more Earthlings than smoking or asbestos ever could. As we've heard countless times before, this fellow is warning that heavy mobile users could end up with brain tumors that threaten their livelihood, and feels that a direct link between handset use and certain tumors will be "definitively proven" in the next decade. Additionally, he suggests that individuals avoid using the cancer generators whenever possible, and that governments and the mobile industry at large take "immediate steps" to reduce radiation exposure. You won't be laughing if he's right.

[Via Digital Lifestyles]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, hodgepodge edition

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 22nd 2008 @ 2:27AM

Lest the danger (or non-danger) of cellphone use stray too far from your mind, here's a trio of recent studies to get the juices flowing again. First, the best news: an Australian researcher has come up with a five-point ranking system to lay out the likelihood of getting cancer from partaking in various substances and activities, and if that system has any basis in reality, cellphones are "unlikely" to cause cancer -- so take it for what you will. The second study, thrown down by the Cleveland Clinic, showed a significant decrease in sperm "quality" (as determined by a number of stats) as average daily cellphone usage increased; not necessarily a short-term problem for the users themselves, but a finding their future children (or lack thereof) might take issue with. The third study brings more bad news, showing that human skin exposed to cellphone radiation altered the cells' protein expression, a potential (though by no means definitive) precursor to cancer. As always, your mileage -- and your body's mileage -- may vary.

[Via textually.org]

Read - "Cell Phones No Cancer Risk, Study Says"
Read - "Effect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic: an observational study" [Warning: PDF link]
Read - "Mobile phone radiation might alter protein expression in human skin"

FDA-commissioned study says we don't know much about wireless risks

by Nilay Patel posted Jan 21st 2008 @ 9:16PM

Just in case our long-running series of posts regarding the danger / safety of cellphone and WiFi radiation didn't tip you off, an FDA-commissioned study was just published by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science that basically says we've got a lot left to learn about the effects of all those radio waves. The FDA wanted to know where to concentrate research efforts in order to better understand wireless safety, and it looks like there are quite a few gaps in the research: the study says there needs to be further study on the effects of wireless radiation on children, pregnant women, and fetuses, both long- and short-term, and that frequency and power differences between different types of radiation need to be better understood in order to apply current knowledge to new products. All in all, it looks like there's a lot we don't know -- but that's not going to stop us from rocking this Bluetooth headset while browsing and taking a call.

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, peaceful slumber edition

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 18th 2008 @ 4:42PM

Never mind tumors, can we please just get a decent night's rest? New research from the Electromagnetic Academy at MIT (and commissioned by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, no less) found that individuals in their study who were blasted with RF typical of cellphones immediately prior to sleeping had their sleeping patterns adversely affected. Furthermore, when the relentless onslaught of electromagnetic radiation continued after the subjects were asleep, researchers found that were more likely to suffer headaches. A deadly side effect? Not really, though it might make us cranky enough to inflict some harm on passers by.

[Via textually.org]

Exradia suggests that iPhones could warp brains

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2007 @ 3:19PM

While we wouldn't mind a bit if the iPhone had an easy-to-replace battery like most mobiles these days, it seems that Exradia feels that such an oversight was nothing short of (potentially) harmful. As you very well know, we've seen so much conflicting data regarding the true danger of "cellphone radiation" that we've basically given up on trying to make sense of it all, but the aforementioned replacement battery outfit -- which just so happens to integrate a mystical RF-blocking circuit into each cell -- is reportedly "surprised [that] Apple has chosen to ignore this potential health issue" by not giving users the option to spend a bit of coin with Exradia. David Schick, the firm's chief executive, went on to state that there was "no scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates mobile devices are safe," but he unsurprisingly failed to mention that the flipside of that statement is also true. Whatever the case, we wouldn't worry too much about this shameless grub for money -- considering just how many mobile users are yapping it up right now, we'll all go down together should these fears prove true.

[Via TGDaily]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, hearing loss edition

by Michael Caputo posted Sep 28th 2007 @ 4:13PM

Apparently, talking on a cellphone for 60 minutes or more per day can result in a partial loss of hearing -- at least that's what some researchers in India are saying. The scientists conducted an experiment to test the correlation of hearing loss to the average use of a cellphone call. The experiment covered 100 participants with cellphone usage ranging from four years and over to just started using a cellphone. The results? Long-time users seemed to suffer some high-frequency hearing loss, usually in their right ears -- the ear most commonly used for chatting on the celly. There also seemed to be some correlation between warm, full, or ringing sensations in the ear, so if you're experiencing any of those, enjoy the stealth ringtone while you still can.

[Via textually.org]

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, cell division edition

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 2nd 2007 @ 6:42PM

So apparently, virtually all existing official limits for radiation emitted by mobiles (FCC, we're looking at you) are based on the assumption that the dangerous effects of that radiation are caused by heating of the brain. Pretty big assumption, eh? A new study by Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science suggest that some "non-thermal" forces are at play, though, noting that chemicals involved in brain cell division were affected in tests on rats after just 10 minutes of exposure to cellphone radiation. Improper cell division goes hand in hand with cancer, so the finding is a rather alarming one. Of course, you know the drill: for every study that suggests phones are dangerous, we can certainly dredge up one that says they aren't -- just be forewarned that a cool brain isn't necessarily a healthy one.

[Via CNET]