Monday, June 16, 2008

Dr. Gupta was Wrong!

On May 23, 2008, The Larry King Show’s topic was “Are Cell Phones Dangerous?” CNN Medical Director, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was very supportive of the fact that cell phones could be dangerous. Guests on the program that evening included Johnnie Cochran’s widow and his neurosurgeon. Johnnie Cochran had died from a brain tumor three years ago. At that time, his daughter had attributed his death to his cell phone use. The tumor which killed him was located behind the ear the he had used while talking on his phone.

Near the end of the program, Dr. Gupta made two suggestions which he felt would decrease the potential risk from cell phone usage:

  1. Use a case on your hip to hold your phone.
  2. Use a wired headset to keep the cell phone away from the ear.

Both of these suggestions are wrong!

The reason why carrying a cell phone on the hip isn’t any safer than carrying it in your pocket is the fact that it transmits radiation directly into the body while your cell phone is on. For men, studies done by the American Society for Reproductive Health have shown that this radiation affects men’s fertility and can lower sperm count. For pregnant women, carrying a cell phone this way may affect the unborn child’s future behavioral patterns, according to a recent UCLA study. What should be done is when the cell phone is not being used, shut it off.

As for wired headsets, studies in Europe by one of the most influential consumer protection organizations concluded that wired headsets increase radiation into the ear by as much as 300%! Bluetooth devices are nearly as dangerous since the signal from the phone transmits radiation directly into the ear. The solution to this is the WaveShield. We’ve taken the wired headset and replaced the wire going into the ear with an air tube, just like a stethoscope. This transmits only air and sound into the, ZERO RADIATION.

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