Would you use a device if it had been linked to cancer? Well, you probably do so daily without realizing it. Keep yourself protected by learning about these 4 devices linked to cancer.
Tanning Booths
Image via Flickr by Whatsername?
If you use any kind of tanning device, whether it’s a large tanning booth at the salon or a small device that you keep at home, you are exposing yourself to harmful rays that increase your risk of developing skin cancer. According to the British Medical Journal, you increase your risk of getting melanoma by 2 percent each time you use a tanning device in a year.
Of all cancer-causing devices, this one is as cut and dry as it gets. Using tanning beds will increase your risk of skin cancer.
Chip Implants
Although you can get chips implanted in yourself, it’s not common practice. With pets, though, it’s an entirely different story. Implanting chips into dogs, cats, and other pets makes it easier for good Samaritans to return lost animals to their owners. Just wave a wand over the chip, and you get the name and contact information of the pet’s owner.
Unfortunately, these chips have also been connected with tumors. Research from the 1990s showed that chip implants caused rats to grow malignant tumors. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your pet will get tumors, or that you will get tumors if you’re one of the few people who have opted for this FDA-approved technology. But it’s something to think about before you agree to any implants.
Mobile Phones
Since mobile phones have only been popular for about 15 years, scientists don’t have clear data on whether they increase cancer risks. Several organizations maintain that researchers should continue exploring this possibility, indicating that some people have serious concerns about using mobile devices.
The FCC even has suggests to reduce potentially negative consequences of using wireless devices. The organization suggests:
• Texting instead of talking
• Keeping phones farther from your body
• Using a speakerphone, headset, or earpiece to keep the phone farther from your body during use.
Power Lines
Image via Flickr by tsmall
Walk outside and look up. Chances are that you’re staring at a power line right now.
Some people worry that those power lines could increase cancer rates, especially in young children. While there isn’t much evidence to support these concerns, there is some. That’s because power lines, like all electrical devices, produce electric and magnetic fields.
Again, there isn’t a consensus saying that electric fields and magnetic fields increase cancer risks. But there is some evidence suggesting the possibility. You’d have to get a real degree in medicine and engineering to fully understand test results.
Of course, that means every electrical device that you use could boost your cancer risks. Which means I’m currently increasing my risk of cancer by typing on a computer, and you’re increasing your risk by reading this on a screen.
In fact, our homes are full of electrical devices that could, potentially, be linked to cancer.
Do you believe that these devices can cause cancer, or at least increase a person’s risks of getting cancer? Are there other devices that you would like to see added to this list?
