Brain Cancer Warning Stickers Proposed For Cellphones Sold In Berkeley
BERKELEY (CBS SF) - Members of the Berkeley City Council say that consumers aren't getting enough warning about the possible risk of brain cancer from cellphone use.
Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Maxwell Anderson have called for a city ordinance that would require every mobile phone sold within the city to carry a sticker "warning consumers of the risk of brain cancer."
"The warnings of the danger of cell phone use within the recommended 10 mm radius are already present; however, the ease of access does not accurately reflect the threat of damage. This warning is either hidden within cell phones themselves in folders within folders, or deep in the pages of manuals – both of which are areas few consumers inspect. Having a sticker would combat this flaw by bringing direct attention to the fact," reads the full ordinance proposal.
The World Health Organization listed the radiation from phones as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for three years, but as the U.C. Berkeley Alumni Association points out, scientists are divided about the true cancer risk presented by phone use, with some studies suggesting that no link exists.
A similar push in San Francisco was struck down in Federal court. Berkley proponents are attempting to write their ordinance in such a way that it would withstand a likely challenge in court.
The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to take up the issue on September 9th.
