Pick up a consumer magazine or log on to any online news channel, you'll read about this one frightening news, claiming cell phone radiation is dangerous, perhaps causing brain tumours or other cancers, maybe even cooking your brain like an egg or like popcorn. Most of the people have no knowledge of science, other than what they hear on the news, so we have a whole population growing up with this minimal understanding. Is the fear justified? Do cell phones have the potential to cause physical harm, or are they completely safe? Or, like so many other questions, is the truth somewhere in the middle?

Let's take a closer look at what kind of threat is actually being reported. A recent article on CNN.com quotes Dr. Debra Davis, Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Environmental Oncology, saying €You're just roasting your bone marrow€ and asking €Do you really want to play Russian roulette with your head?€ The article goes on to give five recommendations for limiting your exposure to cell phone radiation: Using a headset, using the speakerphone, getting a different phone, and so on. CNN followed up with another article with more quotes from Dr. Davis, this time saying that children are especially at risk because their brains are still developing, so they should have less radiation exposure and be allowed to use cell phones in emergencies only.

As the director of an oncology center, she must have all kinds of experience treating cancer patients, and since she's going on CNN to talk about mobile phone radiation risks, she must have had a lot of experience dealing with cancer caused by cell phones. Right? Well, you'd think, but apparently CNN is not quite that particular about their guests. Dr. Davis' Ph.D. is in €science studies€, whatever that is, and she is neither a medical doctor nor does she have any specialization in physical sciences like radiation. Now, I'm not trying to disrespect Dr. Davis €" she has a fine background loaded with experience and all sorts of publications and accolades in her field €" but I do want to draw attention to the fact that when CNN brings a doctor onto television to talk about a health problem, you shouldn't take anything for granted. You're the one who assumed that she treats cancer patients and has seen harmful effects from cell phone radiation. The fact is that the only danger Dr. Davis actually cited was that €since cell phones have only been in widespread use for 10 years or so, the long-term effects of their radiation waves on the brain has yet to be determined.€ Neither she, nor CNN, cited a single case of harm being caused by a cell phone, nor did they present any theoretical arguments indicating any plausible danger.

Dr. Davis is also dramatically wrong on one very significant point that there hasn't been a long-term study conducted on cell phone radiation. In fact, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a massive study in Denmark that followed the cancer histories of 420,000 cell phone users over 13 years. You'd think that someone in Dr. Davis position would know about that, or at least take the slightest trouble to search for studies before going on CNN to proclaim that no such studies exist. The study's main interest was to search for increased incidences of brain or nervous system cancers, salivary gland cancer, and leukaemia.

Further it might interest you that the study on cell phone and radiation exposure concluded saying:

Risk for these cancers did not vary by duration of cellular telephone use, time since first subscription, age at first subscription, or type of cellular telephone (analogue or digital). Analysis of brain and nervous system tumours showed no statistically significant [standardized incidence ratios] for any subtype or anatomic location. The results of this investigation€¦do not support the hypothesis of an association between use of these telephones and tumours of the brain or salivary gland, leukaemia, or other cancers.