By Natasha Clark
Cell phones cause cancer and will ignite fumes at gas stations on a hot summer day, sitting too close to the TV will damage your vision and microwaves unleash dioxins out of plastic containers and will cause cancer. Urban myths die hard, but how many of these actually hold truth?
Cell phones at the pumpCollege students typically do not like to leave their cell phones at home in fear of missing that long awaited text message from the hottie down the hallway, however, some reports have speculated that being so attached to our cell phones could lead to a possible increaseof cancer.
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, there is no available scientific evidence that shows any health problems associated with using wireless phones.
“There is no proof that wireless phones are absolutely safe,” according to the FDA.
‘Charles Hodges, director of consumer media relations for Radio Shack, said the company only sells products proven to be safe and the minute new evidence shows an item is no longer safe it would be pulled from the shelves.
“We do not collect data dealing with the safety of cellular phones, so we point ourcustomers to the manufacturers and the Consumer Electronic Association,” Hodges said.
Americans pump gasoline into their cars an estimated 11 to 12 billion times a year, generally without incident, according to American Petroleum Institute’s Web site.
But in May 2004, an incident sparked attention when a New York college student’scell phone was believed to have ignited vapors coming from the gas tank when he answered his cell phone while filling up his tank, according to a CBS Newsreport.
“I heard that, and they do have signs up at gas stations saying that you can’t use yourcell phone while you’re pumping gas,” Sydney Brewster, a University freshman said. “So I think it’s true.”
Through further investigation, Petroleum Equipment Institute learned the source of the ignition was not caused by a cell phone rather, “ignition was most likely static discharge from the motorist himself to the nozzle dispensing gasoline,” according to its site.
PEI has investigated hundreds of refueling fires and flare-ups, and has yet to document a single incident that was caused by a cellular telephone, according to PEI’s Web site.
“So far we have been unable to document any incidents that were sparked by a cellular telephone,” PEI says. “In fact, many researchers have tried to ignite fuel vapors with a cell phone and failed.”
PEI, however, recommends turning off the car, not to smoke and never re-enter the vehicle until refueling is done.
Step Away from the TV, Son”I was one of those kids who sat too close to the TV and I now have to wear contacts everyday, so I’d say sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes,” Rob Meade, a sophomore Audio / Film / TV major, said.
This old wives’ tale has been around forever, and some did end up having to wear contacts or glasses everyday, but fortunately this one is false. Parents were wrong when they told their children that sitting too close to the TV damages their vision.
“There’s no truth that sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes,” Maureen Houck,director of the Wellness Center, said. “People should sit as close or as far away as what they’re comfortable with.”
Toxic TV dinners?Microwave ovens play an imperative role in every day life, whether it be popping thatTV dinner in for a quick lunch or heating up Chinese food from the night before, but will those ever-so-convenient plastic containers really release dioxins and increase chances of developing cancer?
According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Web site, “Plastics typically do not contain dioxins.”
Some believe that heating up plastic food containers, utensils or plastic wrap could release chemicals into food or beverages, according to the Web site.
The amount of chemicals absorbed in our foods really depends on the temperature ofthe container, the cook time, the type of plastic used and the type of food that is being heated. However, the fattier the foods, the more chemicals that can be retained, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Web site.
The United States Department of Agriculture warns consumers to “only use cookware that is specially manufactured for the use in the microwave oven. Glass and ceramic containers, as well as all plastics, should be labeled for microwave oven use.”
“We need to remember to use everything in moderation, when we overuse or abuse things that’s when we run into problems,” Houck said.
