news and other potential risks
Mood:  celebratory

Hello!

The big news today is that this blog has officially left the realm of being just part of the mirror site of the EFV site (for 'end fashion victimization')  to become the official blog for the public service assocation, AGiR! Action for Genomic integrity through Research! 

Check out the new entry and summary/flyer page on the site: www.genomicintegrity.org  ! 

Besides cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, personal care products and sun tans, other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum have been implicated variably in risk of cancer induction, including low frequency wavelengths (like from power lines) and other radiowave frequencies (as for cell phones).  Again the important thing to consider is that it is disruption of genomic integrity which most likely is the means by which this link has become evident. One wonders about the use of alternating current and whether this could contribute to purported effects. (picture your DNA - negatively charged molecules coated with proteins and RNA- moving back and forth in alternating electric currents in your cells)  Studies with children have been worrying, although other studies have refuted any effect...

Nonetheless, with contradictory and uncertain reports, following the precautionary principle is advisable.  This means keeping your phone in a bag, not your pocket, using an earplug rather than holding it close to your head, staying in one place during a call, so the phone doesn't have to cast around for a signal, etc...  But technology moves ahead, and the technical details are sometimes kept secret.

As a way to add a humorous perspective to this discussion, I must note that this issue, especially in regards to cellular telephone use and widespread wifi networks, is something people are even less likely to want to know about than the hairdye ingredient issue!   ;)

Here are two links, anyway (in the hopes that you will want to know), one from the mayo clinic) and the other  in the United States from the National Cancer Institute to give you an idea about all this.  The latter tells about more research projects in progress, but makes clear that companies are not providing needed info.

Amazingly, even the EWG gave up on their cell phone risk database...although they are pursuing a campaign to get more answers and perhaps even regulations...

So what does it mean for us all?  

The basic advice is still the same.

Take care!