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Wireless Industry Cancels San Fran Trade Show Over Radiation Law
CTIA Enterprise and Applications show to be held elsewhere

We recently noted how despite any solid science leaning one way or the other, San Francisco was the first government to the nation to require that wireless retailers clearly display the amount of radiation each cell phone puts out. Retailers now have to display this information -- specifically the phone's specific absorption rate (SAR) -- in 11 point type right next to the price. Obviously the wireless industry isn't happy about the extra work and possible bad PR caused by cancer fears, so they're apparently responding by canceling a major trade show in the city after this year:

quote:
"(The) Board of Supervisors' action has led us to decide to relocate our show," said CTIA Vice President of Public Affairs John Walls in a statement. "We are disappointed to announce that the 2010 CTIA Enterprise and Applications show in October will be the last one we have in San Francisco for the foreseeable future." ... In a statement, the association said the ordinance will potentially mislead consumers with point of sale requirements suggesting some phones are "safer" than others based on RF emissions. All phones sold legally in the United States must comply with the FCC's safety standards for RF emissions.

"The scientific evidence does not support point of sale requirements that would suggest some compliant phones are 'safer' than other compliant phones based on RF emissions," CTIA said.
According to the FCC, phones can't have a SAR higher than 1.6 watts per kilogram. Scientific studies so far have not been able to conclude that cell phones cause cancer, though some data seems to indicate that the potential exists for higher cancer rates with extremely heavy use. However, solid data on this front doesn't exist yet -- though several long-term studies (as in thirty years long) are ongoing.

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TamaraB
Question The Current Paradigm
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TamaraB

Premium Member

What's wrong with LABELING?

Nobody is BANNING anything. The sky is not falling down! What is the problem with disclosure? Not just with cell phone radiation, but with ALL consumer goods.

Labeling is the way we build a database, so in the future we can correlate a problem with a cause. Genetically modified foods, chemical preservatives, cleaning fluids, and anything we use daily needs to be clearly LABELED.

The riot over the suggestion that full disclosure be made here, leads me to wonder what the industry is hiding, and what future liability they may be shielding themselves from.

If there is no problem, then what's the big fuss all about? Or do you all believe that ignorance is bliss, and knowledge is elitist? Have we devolved that far as a society?

Bob