Doesn’t this sound familiar to anyone else? For years the cell phone companies assured the people and the politicians that their products were completely safe. Sure, it was easy to wonder, “Couldn’t this little device that broadcasts so many electromagnetic waves be dangerous if I were to hold it next to my brain for several hours a day?” But then again, everyone does it. We couldn’t all be doing something hazardous to our health on a regular basis unknowingly. Someone would have said something. After all, I’m sure if something were really dangerous to our health, our politicians wouldn’t be distracted by the multimillion dollar lobbying branches of these companies . . . right?

Doesn’t anyone remember cigarettes? They were convenient, profitable, enjoyable and, for many, essential. In the early 20th century, they were everywhere: in movies, restaurants, hospitals; everyone smoked and no one questioned it. With such an incredible demand for their products, the tobacco companies grew rapidly and developed advocacy groups strong enough to sway public opinion. After a while, studies started popping up, revealing a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Most accepted this news, some denied it, but people didn’t quit smoking.

Then the politicians, hastened by public outcry — but still being taken out to a steak dinner once a week by Big Tobacco — began implementing warnings against cigarettes.
For decades, the warnings came in. First: “Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health.” Then: “The Surgeon General Has Determined that Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to Your Health.” Next: “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema And May Complicate Pregnancy.” And eventually: “Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.” Everyone knew, and the warnings didn’t do much to stop them. The problem was so many people were involved that no one wanted to acknowledge that a mass suicide was going on. It wasn’t until an entire generation died at the hands of tobacco that people started to really wise up, and even today approximately 20 percent of Americans still smoke, regardless of the known health risks. Well, now the World Health Organization has announced a $30 million study that will be released later this year, which allegedly connects long-term cell phone use to brain cancer. There are whisperings of implementing warning labels on cell phone boxes advising users on the dangers of cell phones. The public is up in arms, but, strangely, no one has stopped using cell phones.

Now no one will know for sure whether the study will be valid or completely unreliable until the official report is published. It is possible this is all just a big scam, unsupported assertions and unsubstantial results. Perhaps everyone is getting all worked up over nothing. My question is this: If we found out that cell phones were definitively harmful, if warnings were posted on every phone, if cell phone advertising was banned, if advocacy groups ran TV commercials, if billboards read, “1-800-QUIT-NOW; cell phone addiction hotline,” would it do anything? Would we stop? Could people let go of their iPhones and BlackBerrys? How long can we stay the master and keep technology the slave? Or has that day already passed?

—Scott Marquart is a freshman in the College of Arts and Science. He can be contacted at scott.m.marquart@vanderbilt.edu.