Is Technology Killing Us?
We exist in an
age of amazing technological advances in electronics, photonics, and
chemistry, but are we paying a price that we do not yet fully realize the
implications of? Are we going down a path where these new technologies
become indispensable economically and politically? For instance, what
about the logarithmically increasing non-ionizing radiation that we are
being exposed to from wireless systems, cell phones, satellite
transmissions, electricity transmission, and so on. Any detrimental
biological effect will be difficult to differentiate from other causes as
the effects may take decades to manifest within a population. But we may
get a clue from studying situations where the radiation is more intense
and localized such as in cell phones and power lines.
High power electrical distribution
lines have been implicated as possibly increasing the incidence of certain
cancers. Even the hard to excite EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has
said, “In conclusion, the several studies showing leukemia, lymphoma and
cancer of the nervous system in children exposed to magnetic fields from
residential 60 Hz electrical power distribution systems, supported by
similar findings in adults in several occupational studies also involving
electrical power frequency exposures, show a consistent pattern of
response that suggests, but does not prove, a causal link. Frequency
components higher than 60 Hz cannot be ruled out as contributing factors.
Evidence from a large number of biological test systems shows that these
fields induce biological effects that are consistent with several possible
mechanisms of carcinogenesis.”[1]
The issue of cell phones and brain
cancer is a more recent association for which there has been much
controversy but there is enough evidence to make one wonder. In a Medscape
review article they conclude “Taken together, the WTR research findings
are not conclusive with respect to an increased risk of brain cancer or
benign tumors associated with wireless phone usage. Indeed, these findings
could be chance occurrences and should be confirmed. Alternatively, these
findings could be early indications of a serious public health problem;
thus, an immediate and focused follow-up is clearly necessary.”[2] To get
an idea of just how complex this issue of the health effects of
non-ionizing radiation is, just take a look at
http://www.microwavenews.com/headlines.html which is only a
summary for the current month.
What about food additives,
pesticides, and the other chemical advances that we have also become so
dependent on that have been implicated in lower sperm counts, certain
cancers, hormonal alterations in human physiology, and more? Though we
need better facts in order to make intelligent judgments as a society
(risk vs. benefit), we need to proceed with some caution when a new
technology/advancement theoretically could have a detrimental health
effect on the exposed population. I don’t mean we should investigate any
crackpot theory but rather those theories which are logical and are based
upon known science. For instance, the theory that using bovine growth
hormone may lower the age of puberty, not only physiologically makes sense
but with the age of puberty decreasing may be validated through
epidemiologic studies comparing the age of puberty of lactose-intolerant
children to those of BGH-milk drinking children. Or comparing the brain
cancer rates of cell phone users vs. non-cell phone users over a period of
decades. What about the sensitization of humans to certain plant products
after being exposed to genetically modified versions of the plant (such as
has occurred with corn recently). The list can go on.
With each new technological advance,
Theoretics should be applied. This would mean looking at what logically
derived
health implications could occur based upon what science currently knows
and then designing studies which could yield the answers; yielding them
sooner rather than later, or even worse…too late.
Dr. Siepmann, Editor
Journal of Theoretics
1. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)
draft report, An Evaluation of the Potential Carcinogenicity of
Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) dated June 1990.
2. Medscape review article “Scientific
Progress - Wireless Phones and Brain Cancer: Current State of the Science”,
June 31, 2000.
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