Cell Phones and Cancer: No Clear Connection . . .

Of the 100 million American cellular phone subscribers, some use their wireless phone only in a crisis—to call a friend or 911. They put their rap sessions on hold until arriving home, where phoning a friend costs no cents per minute. For other wireless phone owners, it could be the fear of brain cancer, not an unwieldy wireless bill, that keeps them from using their cell phones for leisure chats.
Convinced that a nine-year cell phone habit led to his brain cancer, neurologist Chris Newman, M.D., has filed an $800 million lawsuit in Baltimore against his cell phone's maker and several other telecommunications companies. His suit comes five years after the dismissal, for lack of evidence, of a lawsuit filed in Florida by David Reynard, who alleged that a cell phone was responsible for his wife's fatal brain cancer. In Newman's case, his lawyer has said, "it's really not a question at all" whether the cancer is cell phone-related. The evidence, she says: Newman's own doctors made the connection between his long-time cell phone use and his tumor, which is positioned in "the exact anatomical location where the radiation from the cell phone emitted into his skull." Newman has been front and center in a renewed public focus over the last few months on whether the fear of brain cancer from wireless phones is well-founded or folly. For his part, epidemiologist Sam Milham, M.D., recently expressed a breakaway scientific viewpoint when he told the television audience of CNN's Larry King Live show that there is "plenty of reason for concern" about cell phones causing brain cancer. Hold the phone. Is there really cause for concern? Do steps need to be taken, as Milham told Larry King, to avoid a brain cancer epidemic among the millions of cell phone users in this country and around the world? No, current scientific evidence does not show any negative health effects from the low levels of electromagnetic energy emitted by mobile phones, says the Food and Drug Administration. But some recent studies suggest a possible link between mobile phones and cancer and warrant follow-up, the agency says, to determine with more certainty whether cell phones are safe. "We don't see a risk looking at currently available data," says David Feigal, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "But we need more definite answers about the biological effects of cell phone radiation, and about the more complicated question of whether mobile phones might cause even a small increase in the risk of developing cancer."

Your Baby's Senses

Find out about your baby's five senses at birth and beyond.

Your newborn navigates the world using his five senses. Baby's sensory explorations are constant, whether he's mesmerized by Daddy's face (or his brightly patterned tie) or soothed by the sound of his favorite lullaby or the smell of Mommy's skin. Keep things interesting by exposing baby to lots of new sensations — tickle him with a feather or play your favorite CD. The possibilities are endless when there's a whole world to discover.

1. Touch

Your baby thrives on being held and cuddled. And your touch has an amazing power to communicate love, as well as soothe him and even boost his immunity. Research shows that babies who are stroked lovingly don't get sick as much and cry less often. And preemies who are massaged grow and develop faster than babies who aren't. It's natural for your newborn to prefer soft touches, like a gentle caress or the feel of soft cotton. You'll notice that baby bristles at a rough touch or a scratchy, coarse fabric.

2. Taste

Baby's palate starts to develop in the womb. Different flavors from Mom's diet are transmitted to baby through the amniotic fluid, and then through breast milk once he's born. Recent studies show that the foods baby was exposed to during pregnancy or nursing are the ones he tends to like. So if you love carrots, don't be surprised if your little one shares your opinion. But no matter what you ate during pregnancy, baby is born with a sweet tooth. He'll love that first bite of sweet pureed banana or applesauce.

3. Hearing

Baby's hearing is well developed at birth, but he prefers high-pitched voices, like Mom's, because he hears them best. That's why the baby talk most people use is also music to his ears. Over the first year your child's hearing will sharpen and he'll learn to track sounds. For the first three months, he'll only turn toward a sound that's in front of him, but by 6 to 12 months he'll look toward a noise coming from behind him or from across the room.

4. Smell

Baby's little nose is in full working order at birth. He knows your scent well from the time he spent in the womb, and studies show that newborns can tell the difference between their mother's breast pads and those of another nursing mom by scent. Babies are born preferring sweet smells like the fragrance of vanilla; lemon is also a favorite. And your newborn naturally dislikes foul odors, like the smell of rotten eggs. He also hates bitter or sour tastes — probably an instinct to help him avoid dangerous foods.

5. Sight

At first, a baby's eyes don't work together, and studies suggest that he sees two of everything. He focuses best on objects 8 to 12 inches in front of him (images closer or farther away are blurry). That's about the distance to your face when you're feeding him, so it's no wonder that he loves looking at you.

Newborns prefer the human face in general. They're especially drawn to the outline of the face or the hairline, which is easy to see because of the contrast. Newborns can distinguish light from dark but can't quite see color until about 4 months. Try getting baby's attention with high-contrast patterns (like a checkerboard or stripes) and black-and-white or boldly colored toys. At 4 months he'll begin to use his eyes to coordinate his hand movements, making reaching and grabbing easier.