Why Johnny Can't Read
We take the incredible technological advances that have been made in the
past 50 years for granted. Technology that was once a distant dream is
now a part of the fiber and fabric of our culture. A typical American
home is equipped with microwaves, cell phones, cordless phones, PDAs,
computers, and a wide assortment of technological gadgetry designed to
make life easier.
However, what price are we paying for these advances and, more
importantly, what price are our children paying for living in a world
filled with these energy emitting devices?
In spite of the occasional debate on safety, most of us have come to
regard cellular phones as fairly harmless. After all, if cell phones
were in any way hazardous to our health, we would know about it. The
sheer accessibility allays any potential fears about their use.
Cigarettes are also widely available but we now know without question
that not only are they harmful to the user but to those around the user
as well. However, widespread tobacco use went on for hundreds of years
before the connection between it and the fatalities it causes was made.
Until then, the vast majority of people didn't consider cigarettes,
pipes, or any other form of tobacco use hazardous. Are we guilty of
being lulled into a similarly false sense of security about cell phones?
The answer is an emphatic and resounding "Yes."
Before you dismiss that as an alarmist cry of an anti-technology fringe
of society, let's take a closer look. Estimates indicate that we are
exposed to 100 million times more radiation per day than in our
grandparents' generation. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) are low levels of
radiation which are generated by electronic devices. Initial concerns
about radiation were dismissed because of low level of exposure. We
learned to live with microwaves because our homes were not filled with
other devices. Yet, what is the risk now, when our homes are filled with
electronic devices, our cars are powered by micro-computers, we are
surrounded by power lines and cell towers, and we spend hours a day with
a portable phone held to our ear?