Cell Phones Are the New Cigarettes

It's time for the government to warn the public about the potential dangers of cell phones, much as it did with cigarettes in the 1960s, writes Joel Moskowitz. We don't have definitive proof yet, but quality studies point to a "harmful association between phone use and tumor risk," the Berkeley doctor writes in the San Francisco Chronicle. The government should "require health warnings and publicize simple steps to reduce the health risks of cell phone use."

There's precedent for such a move, he argues. "In 1965, although there was no scientific consensus about the harmful effects of cigarettes, Congress required a precautionary warning label on cigarette packages: 'Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.' More specific warnings were not required until 1984." (More cell phones stories.)