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Your smartphone will screen you for STDs 11/09/2010

From The Gaurdian
Mobile phone kits to diagnose STDs

Mobile phones and computers will soon be able to diagnose sexually transmitted diseases under innovative plans to cut the UK's rising rate of herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea among young people.

Doctors and technology experts are developing small devices, similar to pregnancy testing kits, that will tell someone quickly and privately if they have caught an infection through sexual contact.

People who suspect they have been infected will be able to put urine or saliva on to a computer chip about the size of a USB chip, plug it into their phone or computer and receive a diagnosis within minutes, telling them which, if any, sexually transmitted infection (STI) they have. Seven funders, including the Medical Research Council, have put £4m into developing the technology via a forum called the UK Clinical Research Collaboration.

Sexual health experts hope it will help reduce the growing number of STIs, which have increased for the last decade and reached a record 482,696 last year. Two-thirds of women reporting a new STI were under 25, as were more than half of men.

The self-testing devices are aimed at technology-savvy young people. Public health experts are concerned that, although most STIs occur among that age group, many are too embarrassed to visit a GP or a genito-urinary medicine clinic to get tested and therefore continue to suffer and potentially pass the disease on. Doctors hope that the ability to obtain a private, confidential diagnosis will overcome their widespread reluctance to take a test.

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Wifi sickness and electromagnetic radiation 08/17/2010

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FROM ECANADA NOW

Barrie Parrents Say Wi-Fi Can Make You SickPosted by Staff on Aug 17th, 2010 // No Comment

Can Wi-Fi Make You Sick?

Wireless Internet has become vastly popular, with networks appearing in restaurants, schools, and shopping malls. But new speculation has risen that says Wi-Fi may be making some people sick. Some in the scientific community suggest that electromagnetic radiation released from wireless routers could have a negative effect on health. That has lead to an outcry from parents who are against adding wireless networks to schools until further research is conducted.

Last fall, parents in Barrie, Ontario had a failed attempt to ban Wi-Fi from schools because of health reasons. Now, the Ontario Education Minister is requesting information regarding the potential health concerns. The debate is at a height again, with parents, teachers, and administrators all wanting more information.

Those in the scientific community are also debating the issue. While they agree that radiation is released, the debate centers on the amounts. Some say it is negligible and would fall well within the guidelines of various national health administrations. Others say that Wi-Fi has been known to cause health issues such as nausea and headaches. The World Health Organization says that Wi-Fi is safe as long as it falls under the exposure limits.

Despite the findings by the World Health Organization and other scientific bodies, the debate over the potential risks of Wi-Fi is stirring the debate among the schools. While the parents in Barrie continue to demand the elimination of Wi-Fi, the school board has yet to do so. They are saying there isn’t sufficient evidence to warrant removing wireless networks from the schools. The issue in Barrie isn’t new. As far back as 2006, the safety of Wi-Fi has been called in to question. Lakewood University in Ontario banned campus wide Wi-Fi that year, and other schools have followed suit. The fears over Wi-Fi are likely to spark further research on the issue.

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Cell phones proven to give cancer to cancerous humans 05/16/2010

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By Donna Bowater of Express.co.uk

JUST half an hour a day on your mobile phone can increase the risk of brain cancer by a third, according to a landmark report.

The largest study into the dangers, published in a scientific journal tomorrow, come as mobile phone usage in Britain continues to rocket, particularly among children.

The £15million Interphone report, by the World Health Organisation, found those in the heaviest user category were in greater danger of developing malignant glioma tumours, which account for half of all brain tumours in the UK.

But the report’s definition of heavy use is just 30 minutes a day and regular use was at least one call per week over a six-month period.

No victims under 30 were interviewed, with the researchers admitting many young people use mobiles for an hour or more every day.

They found that tumours were more common on the side of the head where the phone was used.

Campaigners have warned the real risk may be much higher because the study did not look at other tumours including acoustic neuromas, which grow in the ears.

‘The real risk of tumours could be much higher’

Sarah Wright, spokeswoman for campaign group Mast Sanity, said: “They are only looking at two types of tumours. Other reports have come up with an average that doubled the risk and this Interphone study gives a 40 per cent increased risk.

“Twenty to 30 years ago, brain tumours were virtually unknown but two surgeons in Australia say they have seen a huge increase.”

She said evidence showed the number diagnosed was increasing by two per cent every year.

The Interphone report, which has been largely funded by the mobile phone industry, was based on interviews in 13 countries over 10 years with 5,000 brain cancer victims or a friend or relative of those who had died or were too ill to be quizzed.

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