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It is hard to imagine life without them. We use mobile phones to conduct business, chat with friends, and communicate with people virtually anywhere in the world within seconds – quite amazing when you think of it. Yet some recent reports suggest we might be doing ourselves more harm than good when using these icons of modern convenience on a regular basis.

After conducting dozens of scientific studies over recent years, award-winning cancer expert Dr. Vini Khurana believes that more than ten years of regular mobile phone use could more than double our risk for brain tumors. "It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking," says Professor Khurana, noting that an estimated three billion people worldwide use cell phones - three times as many as those who smoke. Smoking kills as many as five million of the world’s people each year, so if the doctor’s claims are at all accurate the results could be disastrous.

Much of the concern is coming from Europe at this time. Earlier this year the French government issued a warning against mobile phones, especially for children. Germany also cautions its citizens to minimize handset use, and the European Environment Agency has issued words of caution against this all too common practice.

Cell phone usage has been among the highest concerns for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dating back to 1994. Noting that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly the direct cause of brain cancer, the NCI emphasized that cell phone use be considered right up there with toxic chemical exposures (hair dyes, lead, industrial/occupational solvents, asbestos), diet (processed meats, artificial sweeteners, vitamin/mineral deficiencies), and heredity, when it comes to increasing brain tumor risk.

So certain of his research, Dr. Khurani believes the connection between cell phone use and brain cancer will be “definitively proven” within the next decade. Only time will tell for sure but why wait until it’s too late to act? Why not put pressure on the cell phone industry to limit radiation from these devices and to notify us exactly how much exposure we are actually getting each time we put one of their products up to our ear?

I distinctly remember how inconvenient it was trying to find exact change for a pay phone – provided I could find one that even worked. Trust me, few have marveled as much as I have at how far we’ve come with communications technology in such a short time. The way I see it, if we have the technology to create such amazing devices with so many capabilities, we also have the knowhow to safeguard them so that they don’t emit such potentially harmful radiation to our precious bodies. So until we’re really sure about cell phone safety, consider limiting your usage. Maybe go with a hands-free device (not a blue tooth which might emit a bunch of radiation itself), and try not storing them for long periods of time in your pants pocket, by your chest, or near your head.