A Cautionary Tale? Or the Ramblings of an Old Fool?
Having traveled to Xi’an, China in the mid-1990’s, I had the wonderful experience of viewing the Terracotta Army, a collection of baked clay (terracotta) sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang who was the first emperor of China. They were buried with the emperor in 209 BCE for the purpose of protecting him the afterlife. Each clay statue was colorfully painted by a talented artisan with great attention to detail. Amazing as it may seem, no two of the army’s soldiers are alike. Each life-size figure had its own unique height, body type, uniform, hair style and facial details. This underground mausoleum was accidentally discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers digging in their field. These subterranean funerary chambers hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots led by 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. These magnificent hermetically sealed antiquities had slept in darkness and silence for over 2,200 years. The scale of what I witnessed was almost impossible to grasp. To see this was an amazing and mind-boggling experience and well worth the effort of the 7,200 miles I had travelled from Boston. One of the greatest archaeological finds of the twentieth century, the Terracotta Army is often described as the “eighth wonder of the world.”
Being effectively “sealed” from the pollutants in the air, and damage created by light and moisture, the Terracotta Army was literally unchanged from the day the final shovel of soil was placed above it. Archeologists, excited by this extraordinary discovery, began an aggressive and overly ambitious excavation with little oversight or regard for the consequences. Soon after the initial excavation, the painted surface on the terracotta statues began to crumble, and their brilliant colors rapidly faded. As a result, the excavation was immediately suspended pending investigation of definitive methods to preserve the vivid colors on the balance of the soldiers and items. Ambition and motive had taken precedence over outcome and consequence. Disaster WAS the consequence. I quietly considered the object lesson demonstrated by this archeological tragedy and filed it away in my mind.
Reader, will you take a stroll down memory lane with me? During the same period that I visited China, I made my living selling technology solutions directly to engineers whose organizations were developing microprocessor-based devices. As a telecommunications / data-communications specialist, many of my customers were developing cell phones. Long before the days of Apple and Samsung, the key players were Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, and BlackBerry. There were others, but these led the pack. I had dealings with 3 of the “big 4”, as well as many 2nd tier players. As a degreed engineer and businessman, I was cognizant that in product development, money is always a driving factor. Safety, although not ignored, often comes later. There is a myriad of illustrative examples in the pharmaceutical, aviation, chemical, energy, and automotive industries, to name but a few. It is often only after the horse has left the barn that the gate gets locked. Time to market is critical in technology and being the first to market with the better mousetrap not only catches the bulk of the mice but deals a crushing blow to other mouse trap builders. Based on my technical background, it was clear to me that cellphones were extremely powerful devices, and I had concerns as to the potential dangers of holding a transmitter with this potency against the human cranium. I had strong suspicions at that time that safety was being compromised, albeit not necessarily intentionally. When I brought this issue up with project engineers, subtly, in one-on-one informal settings, the body language spoke volumes. The deaf, dumb, and blind card was generally played. “I am under non-disclosure and cannot discuss this.” Perhaps they shared my concerns but wanted to remain employed, or possibly did know any more than I. Perhaps this was what the company line response was. I remained suspicious. I wanted the sale and to keep my own job, so I dropped it. The cell phone gold rush was well underway, and nothing was going to stop this freight train that promised massive profits to those corporations that prevailed.
I was not alone in my concerns at that time. Scientists and researchers of all stripes from across the globe made their fears known to the industry itself and government. As a result of this massive outcry, extensive research studies on the potential dangers of cell phone usage were undertaken. I won’t name names. I will let you speculate as to which corporations and agencies undertook or sponsored these studies. Have you connected the dots reader? If so, you also know what the outcomes indicated. Hardly a surprise. Does one honestly expect the rabbits to guard the lettuce?
I was reminded of my visit to China and how the object lesson that took place there in 1974 may indeed be repeating itself on a massive global scale, and with the potential for dramatically more devastating consequences. In the China tragedy nobody became ill or died. In thinking about my personal experiences in the new and rapidly emerging cellphone technology, I saw many parallels to what had taken place thousands of miles away in China a few decades earlier.
Fast forward to today, and I still have concerns. The latest potential safety issues surrounding the rapidly emerging 5G technology has precipitated my decision to revisit the subject of cell phone dangers. After extensive evaluation of the available research, there appears to be no conclusive evidence linking cellphone usage to cancer, and more specifically to brain tumors. The operative word is “conclusive.” That is NOT to say that there is not valid research indicating the exact opposite, with enough evidence of cause and effect to cause apprehension. In fact, the current scientific literature is replete with studies that show that cellphone usage does cause cancer, specifically brain tumors. In analyzing these contradictory findings and to provide perspective, one must consider the hundreds of billions of dollars involved here. It is an irrefutable fact that money DOES influence science. The “follow the science” flag is waved, and the mantra shouted like Mussolini from the balcony when the science fits the desired outcome. It is not my intent to cast aspersions on the cellphone industry, only to apprise you of my personal experiences and analysis and give you something to consider about this device that has become ingrained in our daily lives, and for many welded to their heads.
When it comes to your cellphone, it seems reasonable to use headphones or speakerphone to keep the phone away from you head. Protect your melon! You only get one brain. Replacements are unavailable. In the early days, headphones and speakerphone capability did not exist. These came later. These conveniences, and in my opinion “safety” features, are now at your disposal. Radiation, which IS CLEARLY linked to cancer and specifically brain tumors is CUMULATIVE. It never decreases in your body’s cells during your lifetime. This is a well agreed to and irrefutable scientific fact. There is no such thing as a completely safe level of exposure. As such, less is always better. Think about holding the phone to your ear, as I see many people doing, for just a few minutes per day, for over 10, 20 or 30 years. Repeat: Radiation is CUMULATIVE! There CAN be an inflection point. “When it comes to your health everything is good until it isn’t” (Tony Soprano?) It takes but one single cell of the 37 trillion in your body to go rogue to create a cancer that can multiply exponentially. Unfortunately, that often leads to the end-zone. Cancers, particularly brain tumors can take decades to develop which makes cause and effect studies extremely difficult, and as such, often “inconclusive.” In other words, neither position can be decisively proven nor disproven, despite compelling scientific evidence to support each assertion. I myself have taken a circumspect approach, using my cellphone as an emergency device, and not as a convenience. For the small monthly fee, I am keeping my landline and using it as my primary method of communication. I am NOT available 7 x 24, and do not need to be. I am not that important. Those that need to reach me seem able to do so. If preferring the landline labels me as a dinosaur, I can absolutely assure you that I am a highly successful dinosaur.
I wasn’t born yesterday and am certainly aware that the entire cell phone industry and billions of users are not going to make a hard pivot based upon this writing. You probably won’t either! That is not this article’s intent. This is just a cautionary tale friend — No more — No less.
I’ll leave it at that for now. Your beliefs can’t possibly conflict with mine because I myself do not know what to believe! If the dangers of cellphone usage are still being debated and studied by respected medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, and countless other prestigious organizations and universities across the globe after three decades, its risks are worth considering.
Minimize use. Use headphones. Use speakerphone. You know the drill. Err on the side of caution. Why not? Think of an Atheist who says prayers. There is no downside. If the cellphone industry chooses to take legal action against me based upon my “opinion” (guaranteed by the Constitution, I believe), they can have at it. I am not a youngster, and by the time they secure one cent, I will have long since gone over the falls. How old am I? Not really all that old. Let’s just say I still buy green bananas.
The intent of this piece is not to cast aspersions on any individual, company, agency, or organization. You are welcome to your own opinion. If you are upset about what I have written, feel free to email me or even sue me. The line forms to the right. I think I hear your cellphone ringing reader, so I’ll let you go for now. Use your headphones or speakerphone, please. It’s been nice chatting. Do call me and we can continue our discussion, but on my landline please.
Howard Axelrod is a travel photographer, writer, and former high technology executive. He has photographed in 85 countries on six continents. He is a resident of Ashland, Massachusetts and Delray Beach, FL. Howard can be reached at highwind@verizon.net.
