You probably heard that Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has taken over Teddy Kennedy’s gavel on the HELP Committee, but did you know that Harkin is also chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor HHS Subcommittee)?
He’s holding a hearing today at 2pm to discuss the health effects of using a cell phone (although this report says Specter is holding the hearing). Given how much people on Capitol Hill use their cell phones (they might as well be glued to their heads) it cannot be a subject that Congress wants to face. And what do they plan on doing about it if it turns out that cell phones pose an unacceptable risk of brain cancer? Wouldn’t that be the mother of all class action lawsuits? Or would the telcos get retroactive immunity for that too?
I haven’t had my cell phone activated in years and I don’t like to talk for even a short time on anyone else’s cell phone. Johnnie Cochran and Teddy Kennedy are two of the most famous people to die of brain cancer, both of whom had reason to wonder if their excessive cell phone use was the cause.
I don’t like anyone I care about using cell phones, and I am glad that the kids focus mainly on texting, which keeps the radiation away from their heads. Here is the National Cancer Institute’s FAQ on the issue.
