AM Radio Waves May Be Harmful?

Klar writes "Wired News reports that: 'Korean scientists have found that regions near AM radio-broadcasting towers had 70 percent more leukemia deaths than those without.' The article continues: 'The study, to be published in an upcoming issue of the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, also found that cancer deaths were 29 percent higher near such transmitters.' While 'their study did not prove a direct link between cancer and the transmitters', the FDA and the World Health Organization are urging more studies, especially of radio waves from cell phones."

Incomplete testing

[Lord Grey]

... regions near AM radio-broadcasting towers had 70 percent more leukemia deaths than those without.
...
... also found that cancer deaths were 29 percent higher near such transmitters.
...
... California's Department of Health Services reviewed all the current studies of EMF risks from power lines, wiring and appliances in 2002. It found no conclusive evidence of harm. However, links to childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer and Lou Gehrig's disease could not be ruled out.

Yes, but did they test for lethal amounts of dihydrogen monoxide [dhmo.org]? It would be irresponsible to not test for everything possible! Alarmists, take heed! Flee to the hills! Watch out for magnetism! Gravity is also especially harmful!

This is a conspiracy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Although I can't decide if it's a liberal conspiracy against Rush Limbaugh, a government conspiracy against Art Bell, or a gay conspiracy against Dr. Laura. They want them off the air whoever they are!

Looks like we were right...

[baudilus]

At my job we refer to our two way pagers as 'birth control.' We may have been right all along...

AM Radio

[nightsweat]

It seems Ever Clear to me that the cause is the music. On the AM radio, AM radio

We liked pop, we liked soul, we liked rock, but we never liked disco

Yes, more cancer...

[Anonymous Coward]

Add the fact that I live under a radio tower to the fact that I smoke, drink way more than I should, always have a cellphone and bluetooth headset near me, and work in a nuclear power plant, and I figure I'm doing pretty good!

Re:Incomplete testing

[Anonymous Coward]

Will the waves hurt my remaining eye?

Oh, well.

Not true.

[lateralus_1024]

Sean Hannity causes illness and disease in any band, or medium.

Quick!

[NIK282000]

Every one, put on your tin foil hats!

Was there ever any question?

[EvanED]

Rush Limbaugh is broadcast on AM!

(And to balance things out, so is Al Frankin IIRC, but I wouldn't compare the two)

Re:This is a conspiracy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, what happens is that when people listen to AM radio too much, they start opposing greater access to health care. With more power in the hands of the HMOs, more people end up getting cancer.

Similarly, FM radio waves cause copyright laws to become more draconian, and the frequencies used for television broadcast have been shown to result in lower SAT scores in nearby areas.

Rick James is dead...

[rarose]

due to living in the path of a radio tower. Whether you liked his work or not, we can all appreciate that inhaling huge quantities of blow had nothing to do with it as this latest research indicates.

Oh yeah... and Elvis is dead too. Had nothing to do with peanut butter & bananna sandwiches or drugs... nope... Graceland was just down the hill from a big 'ol King sized radio tower.

Did I mention "King sized"? Since his name came up, Stephen King is still very much alive. But Catherine Zeta Jones and that "Can you hear me now?" guy are looking pretty mortal at this point.

If you thought AM was bad for you, try XM

[fugginsuds]

Do not taunt the XM.

I know what it's doing.

[baudilus]

it's making you go blind [teenoutreach.com].

To quote last night's Aqua Teen Hunger Force

[Anonymous Coward]

Frylock: "It's emitting radition."

Shake: "Yeah, but like, you know, the good kind, right? Like how they find tumors and gave Spider-Man his powers and stuff."

Frylock: "No Shake. The bad kind. The other kind. The kidney losing kind."

Reduce risk by 50%...

[cytoman]

It is well known that

The ionosphere bends signals best at night because the Sun is no longer ionizing the atmosphere then. That's why you pick up distant AM signals at night. An AM signal can hop all the way around the world at night, bending down from the ionosphere and reflecting back up from Earth: hopping in that fashion and ultimately going vast distances.

and that tinfoil stops RF waves.

To summarize,

Higher density of RF waves at night

Tinfoil blocks RF waves

Putting these two together, we can conclude that wrapping your body in tinfoil when you sleep at night will reduce your risk of developing RF related complications by >50%:

It's the AM Orcs.

[Anonymous Coward]

See, years ago, the Goblins had it in for talk radio. Orcs like FM, you dig?
So, they developed this hobby of knocking down AM towers.
To fight this evil, the government release the Orcs from their Maximum Security prisons and got them to guard the towers with their life.
But, the Goblins had one more trick up their sleeves - Magical Underwear.
Now, this brand of undies granted them super-goblins strength - capable of pounding Orc flesh into dust!
The Orcs created this huuuge scene. They're such pussies sometime, y'know?

No, no this is silly. No, the whole premise is silly and it's very badly written. So I'm stopping it.
You can't do that!
I've done it. The post is over.
It's only 'cos you couldn't think of a punch line.
Not true, not true!

radio killed.......

[Roskolnikov]

the video star.

Re:Looks like we were right...

[freakmn]

The guy wears it, and the girl runs away. Jokes are so much less funny when they need an explanation...

just talk radio

[dbs_sf]

I've long felt that right-wing talk radio was harmful. It's nice to have scientific proof.

Re:50,000 watts

[Anonymous Coward]

Yea, but you don't go pressing 50 000 watt transmitters against your head every day.

Re:Incomplete testing

[rworne]

You must also be aware of the flip-flopping between these transmission methods and cancer. Every year or so it changes boolean states from harmful to not and back again the following year.

It's a perpetual scam to get more grant money.

Re:no news here.

[Mateito]

I'm so tired of apologists.

Sorry

Re:no news here.

[RajivSLK]

Additionally, the areas near towers are generally higher density and more urban, more polluted, have less green space for exercise, and contain more Macdonalds'. The population is educated to a lesser extent and are less health aware (they don't take as good care of themselves). They are more likely to smoke, eat fattening/unhealthy foods and visit the doctor less often.

Never mind all that, it *must* be the AM radio. That being said we should look into this but without jumping to any conclusions.

It's worse than that!

[Anonymous Coward]

Just when you thought you were safe... turns out that Steven King owns a radio station! [zoneradio.com]

Now THAT's apparently a horror story!

Re:Looks like we were right...

[Uatu]

"Wireless Vasectomy" is the term we use...

You know, buzzwords and all...

Re:Yes, more cancer...

[Anonymous Coward]

You are not Homer Simpson, are you ?

Re:Looks like we were right...

[dykofone]

Kinda reminds me of what a friend told me when I mentioned an interest in climbing and rapelling off a transmitter tower:

"When standing next to a high power microwave transmitter, the areas of the body with the highest water concentration begin boiling first: the eyes and the testicles"

I don't want to climb those things anymore.

Re:Incomplete testing

[Zeinfeld]

At last, proof positive that Rush Limbaugh is dangerous to people's health.

Re:Incomplete testing

[PlusFiveTroll]

Step three - consider humans have evolved under the suns radiation

Then why do many of us seem to get cooked to a deep red when we stay out in it for over 15 minutes. Damn UV radiation.

Re:Looks like we were right...

[SurgeonGeneral]

Husand: Honey I'm home!

Does anyone actually say this? I mean really, this isnt 1952. Who actually feels happy enough to shout out this out when they walk in the door from work. Furthermore.

Wife: Great, lets go out to dinner. Just make sure you take that stupid...

Uhhhh, go out for dinner? Isnt this 1952? Dinner is supposed to be on the table. Bitch.
*SMACK*

Re:Incomplete testing

[HermanAB]

There was a time when smoking prolonged life. Viruses and other organisms would stick to the smoke and fall on the ground or get expelled from the lungs in phlegm. Only once we started to live very long, did cancer become a concern.

Re:Incomplete testing

[plover]

So now there's a "colon cancer and cell phone" linkage?

I've decided I really don't want to know any more about Japanese lifestles than that...

new study

[Wescotte]

shows that if you are located in a region where a study be being conducted you are 70% more likely to die.

Lets face it.....

[SWTP_OS9]

Being next to other Humans are dangerious to your health!