What's New January 8, 2010

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park    Friday, 08 Jan 10   Washington, DC

1. CELL PHONES: KEEP YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE MICROWAVE OVEN.
Several readers admonished me for my unqualified assertion in last week's 
WN that "cell phone radiation does not cause cancer." They point out that 
microwave photons may not eject photoelectrons but they do excite molecular 
vibrations (heat). That's why your microwave oven has a safety interlock on 
the door.  So does the miniscule energy deposited by the cell phone cook 
your brain?  No!  Rapid blood circulation keeps the brain temperature at 
that of the blood, which is regulated by the hypothalamus at the base of 
the brain.  Thermoregulation is a high priority for the brain.  That’s why 
marathoners run hard for more than two hours, often hatless beneath a 
midday summer sun, yet their rise in blood temperature is about that of a 
mild fever.

2. WARNINGS: MAINE LEGISLATURE AGREES TO TAKE UP CELL-PHONE WARNING LABELS.
State Rep. Andrea Boland (D) is pushing for the state to become the first 
to require cell phone makers to put warnings on packaging like those on 
cigarettes. The bill was filed in October but is on a fast track. It’s 
considered “emergency legislation” because there are 900,000 cell phones in 
the state. Rep. Bolden's concern was based on a 2006 study in Sweden 
showing a correlation between brain tumors and heavy cell phone use. 
However, a Danish study that came out in December found that the rates of 
brain cancer in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden had remained stable 
from 1974 two 2003. Such studies are possible in Scandinavia where record-
keeping is an obsession. If the effect is real, the frequency of brain 
cancers should have turned up sharply in 2000. An estimated 277 million 
people use cell phones in the US. I doubt if such a label would reduce that 
number significantly.  Scientific truth becomes something to be negotiated.

3. THERE’S HOPE: IF YOU’RE A DEMENTED MOUSE WITH A CELL PHONE. 
A study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center found that cell 
phone radiation protected the memories of mice genetically altered to get 
Alzheimer's disease. The study was led by Prof. Gary Arendash who 
previously found that coffee could protect against Alzheimer's. Hmm, I 
can’t remember if I’ve had my Coffee.  If exposure to microwaves is started 
when the Alzheimer's mice are young adults, before signs of memory 
impairment are apparent, their cognitive ability is protected. The mice had 
been genetically altered to develop beta-amyloid plaques characteristic of 
Alzheimer’s as they aged.

4. SMOG: ADMINISTRATION CALLS FOR TOUGHER STANDARDS.
The Environmental Protection Agency sees the tougher standards as a way to 
improve public health without getting into the insurance squabble. Business 
sees it as bad timing with the economy struggling to revive. I would just 
like to see the stars again.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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