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REAL LIFE NEWS: FIGHT AGAINST MOBILE PHONE CARCINOGEN LABEL

by Hazed

Mobile phone companies have taken to the law courts in San Francisco to try to avoid having to label their products as carcinogenic.

The city passed an ordinance which required mobile phone retailers to warn customers about radiation levels which could damage health. "The World Health Organization has classified RF energy as a possible carcinogen," say the flyers they are obliged to hand out with every phone sold in the city.

While the statement is absolutely true, it is taken out of context because many other products fall into the same classification, such as coffee. Nobody is required to warn coffee-drinkers that their brew could cause cancer every time they buy a cup!

The mandatory flyer is also decorated with "bright red, orange and yellow circles emanating from cell phones and penetrating into the head and pelvic regions of users," which sounds very alarmist. You can see the flyer here.

The cellular industry is arguing that forcing retailers to provide information which they disagree with - a "controversial or false message" - is in breach of their rights. It will be interesting to see if the courts agree.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/05/ctia_court_filing/

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