THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011
TECHNOLOGY
PAGE 5
Students ignore warnings of cell phone radiation risks
BY BRITTANY NELSON
bnelson@kansan.com
Every morning, Kellen McMahon wakes up to his buzzing iPhone on his pillow. As he heads out the door to start a new day, he always makes sure his cell phone is with him.
And he doesn't plan to change that habit — even if it may be dangerous.
The World Health Organization announced recently that cell phones are a "possible carcinogen" that may cause cancer. Cell phones are now in the same category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. This recent finding may especially affect young people who have had cell phones from an early age.
For people who talk on their phones more than text, the reactions are still the same.
"There's a lot of things that cause tumors and there's not that much evidence," McMahon, a junior from Overland Park, said. "I'll still use my phone all the time."
Sarah Freijat, a senior from Overland Park, talks on her Blackberry
Storm for almost five hours per day.
She said that she thinks this finding is "stupid."
"I won't even think about it after this," she said.
Freijat, like McMahon, also uses her cell phone as an alarm clock and keeps it on her pillow every night.
"The news comes out with something new that causes cancer every other week — cats, Diet Coke, and reusable water bottles," she said.
Students polled on Kansan.com agreed with Freijat's lack of concern and assumption that the warnings don't apply to them.
"As technology develops, they can fix the problem." McMahon said.
But experts at the World Health Organization advise people to take precautionary measures such as using a hands-free headset, keeping the mobile phone away from the body and not using the cell phone in a car without an external antenna.
Still, McMahon and others say they're not concerned.
"We won't have to worry about this for years," McMahon said.
Research in the possible side effects of cell phone radiation have made headlines but hasn't changed the habits of many students despite the warnings, the habits of keeping phones nearby are still prevalent.
AppStore
NEW CAMERA