Possibly time to panic

Today, NPR reported that the WHO recently classified cellphones as "possibly carcinogenic." They write:

An international panel of experts says cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of published studies...The group classified cellphones in category 2B, meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Other substances in that category include the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.

That's right, folks! You heard it here first: Cellphones = DDT. (Though, I would add, DDT killed birds, while cellphones have yet to be shown to kill anything...except maybe bees.)

Now, I should probably note that the cancer risk of cellphones is far from clear, as it takes a long time to develop cancer and there can be many other potential causes for it once it develops. This means that, to cellphone companies' doubtlessly great delight, it is extremely difficult to definitively link cancer to cell phone use. I'm sure Verizon and AT&T are quite pleased that Cancer Research U.K. has tried to temper the cancer panic by noting that "the only health danger firmly connected to cellphones is a higher risk of car accidents." (From the NPR piece). Time to buy some hands-free accessories!

Nevertheless, I think it's at least possibly time to panic. After all, cellphones emit radiation, and the safety of said radiation is unclear. And as CNN reports, people using, say, iphones, by holding them next to their heads (as one does when talking on the phone), probably routinely exceed their recommended radiation intake:

The Apple iPhone 4 safety manual says for users' radiation exposure to not exceed FCC guidelines, "When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body."

The same goes for other cellular devices as well, but I thought I'd pick on iphones because, you know, I kind of want one. Though my desire is less strong now that I know i should constantly hold the phone 5/8 of an inch away from my body (does that include my hands?).

Last point: Check out the ridiculous stock photo CBS chose to run with this story:

I can't...What the...I don't...I don't even know.

The NIH has a nice review of the research on cellphones and cancer here.

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In other news, this is an aptly titled website.