July 25, 2008

More Cell-Phone Wariness From Docs

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cellphone150.jpgThe Baltimore Sun reports that another group of doctors has voiced its concerns about cell phones. They’re the latest to do so; last year, a different group published the Bioinitiative Report, a roundup of some of the studies that suggest a link between cell-phone radiation and brain cancer.

This new group includes some bigwigs—most notably Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Herberman told the Sun, “Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later.”

This, in a nutshell, is the precautionary principle, which is an important piece of this whole debate—but it’s not really anything we haven’t heard before. And we probably won’t hear anything new until more science is in. Unfortunately, this could take quite a while. So the question remains: Should we follow Herberman’s advice and use our mobiles sparingly till we know more?

Full disclosure: After researching “This is Your Brain on Cell Phones,” I bought a headset. Just in case.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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