No way

Story: Linux-based gadget charges mobiles wirelessly at up to 15 feetTotal Replies: 7
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Ridcully

Jan 09, 2015
10:40 PM EDT
My personal take is that I simply will NOT have anything like this in my home. We already have some evidence that heavy use of mobile phones can produce tissue damage in the head or brain and the inverse square law of radiation means that to get out to 15feet, the emitted radiation of the device up close has got to be much more than a mobile phone. Of course the makers will deny there is a problem - they want to sell it, don't they ! I discussed this with a friend of mine this morning and his reaction was identical to mine. He's an ex-Physics teacher and ham radio technician and he loves gadgetry......but this is one he would never, never have in his home.
seatex

Jan 10, 2015
1:07 AM EDT
The same thoughts immediately came to me when reading this story. NO WAY! Yes, there will be guinea pigs lined up to buy it. And sad stories to follow later.
number6x

Jan 11, 2015
2:37 PM EDT
Don't overstate the for risks with cell phones. It is extremely small. Cancer from natural ionizing background sources, like sunlight, radon and uranium is higher. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones

As someone who has lived a big chunk of his life at high altitude in places with a lot of naturally occuring uranium (New Mexico), I worry about sun exposure more than cell phone exposure.
Ridcully

Jan 11, 2015
5:05 PM EDT
" We already have some evidence that heavy use of mobile phones can produce tissue damage in the head or brain..." Number6x, I wouldn't call that overstating. The article you quote is full of "hedging the bets", more research needed, etc. etc. The point I make is that increasing ambient radiation energy in a home is not a good thing to do - or at least in my view anyhow.
penguinist

Jan 11, 2015
6:14 PM EDT
number6x: You are talking about cell phone exposure, but that's not the issue around this article. The device described CHARGES the cell phone by directing high energy radiation in the direction of the phone. This is definitely NOT something I would want running in my house.

Think about the collateral radiation if that phone happens to be tucked away in my pocket while it is being charged. Enough energy to charge a phone battery (4 watts according to the article) will be aimed directly at my body's tissues. Nope, that's not for me. I'll pass on this gadget.
Ridcully

Jan 12, 2015
1:07 AM EDT
Thanks penguinist.......I'll take it the step further and say: What if it's also charging while you are using it ? The device may have a "safe" mode which turns off beamed power as soon as a phone is used, but we don't know that do we ?
number6x

Jan 12, 2015
12:07 PM EDT
The article does point out a small risk of glial cell abnormalities due to extremely high duration exposure to broadcasted emissions (this is similar to radio transmitters like those in cell phones). So you my not be remote charging when you are using the phone, but then you are transmitting.

These abnormalities could be indicators of future cancer.

However, when judging the exposure times and risks, you are still at much greater risk from sun exposure, or from breathing air. I wouldn't want cancer, but as most oncologists will tell you, if you live long enough you will get it. Nursing someone through to the end is no fun.

The best thing to do is to help encourage research for treatment, basic research into understanding, and (maybe someday) for cures.



Ridcully

Jan 12, 2015
5:16 PM EDT
I hear you, number6x, nevertheless........I'll play safe: Not in my home thankyou, and that would be my advice to anyone else. I had bowel cancer diagnosed in 2000, followed very rapidly by highly successful surgery and adjuvent chemotherapy and I remain in complete remission. Never, never, never do I want the stress and terror of that episode to hit anyone else and anything that even smells faintly of a cancer trigger is simply not an option with me. Even 15 years later the memories are horrifyingly vivid.

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