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They're classifying cell phone use as a "Group 2B" carcinogen, which means it's "possibly" carcinogenic. The most famous residents of Group 2B carcinogens are DDT, lead, and nickel.

Pickled veggies from Asia are also included. Beware the kimchi of death.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IARC_Group_2B_carcinoge...

EDIT: I also want to add that this is yet another case of mass media distorting a report that is careful to identify a) that there is no causality, just correlation and b) what exactly the classification means. That headline is linkbait bullocks: that report does not conclude that "cell phone use can increase cancer risk." It essentially says, "We're acknowledging that it might. Possibly. Maybe."




It's a bit of a scare tactic to compare it to lead and DDT. Both of those are extremely harmful, but not because of their carcinogenic effects. The fact that cell phones are in their same group on some carcinogen list means essentially nothing, in fact it's not even worth mentioning. I suspect the article only does for the scare value.

If they're going to go that route, they should use scarier things. Maybe they could get rabid bears and Al Queda members listed in the same group.


Does the pickle thing correlate with epidemiology? Are there spikes in the rates of certain cancers in Asia, the way stomach cancer spikes where people eat lots of smoked fish? Because as I understand it, pickled vegetables are extremely common in Japan and Korea. Is GI cancer?


Stomach cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in Korea.

Here's a map of the death rate, which doesn't necessarily correspond to the cancer rate:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stomach_cancer_world_map_-...

And an article on salty diet and stomach cancer in South Korea:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/24/us-salty-diet-idUS...


It may also have something to do with the high salt intake that accompanies many of those pickled vegetables.


According to an IARC link Aaron Swartz posted on Twitter, it's the nitrosamines in fermented pickles.


Wouldn't it also be the case with sauerkraut, then?


Probably.


Yes, there is a correlation in epidemiology, but as far as I know, there is no mechanism identified. Also, yes, Japan has a high relative rate of stomach cancer.


Another one: Coffee (in the "mixtures" category)


Even coffee is on that list.




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