Radios and cancer

Are 2 way Portable and Cellular Radios
A possible cause of Colorectal Cancer?

By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Contract Broadcast Engineer

Many of you who regularly read my articles may not be aware that I was diagnosed in July 2007 at age 47 with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer.
I underwent Radiation, Chemo and Surgery to remove the Cancer from my colon and also lost part of my Liver, Gall bladder and Appendix as well in the process.
The doctors tell me I was genetically predestined to it, which is why I got it before age 50 when it is more common occurrence.
Knowing we had a family history of it I limited my risk factors.
By Not Smoking and Drinking and keeping myself in best physical shape I could despite several disabilities. It was a good thing I did as it helped me fight back and I am currently in remission and hope to stay that way for a long time despite the fact that average stage IV survivor has a 5 year life expectancy of 8% .
So now that I have the fight of my life on my hands to make sure Im in that 8% that makes it past 5 years .So I have been doing all kinds of research, which is all I can do some days and one of the main questions is. Ok I was destined to get this but where there any other factors in my life which may have helped conspire that I did get it.
The one question keeps coming back to the 2 way radio and cell phones I often carried on my hip.
After talking to a number of Firefighters, Construction Workers , Amateur (Ham) Radio Operators and others who also have gotten Colon Cancer young like I did almost every one of us has had tumors diagnosed almost directly across from where we kept our 2 way radios on our hips.
I have brought this issue up with numerous Oncologists and Cancer researchers and there all saying NO. You were going to get cancer regardless if not now later. Yet there have never been any studies on this subject of 2 way radios despite some more than coincidental evidence with
all the noise going on about Cell phones which use a average ¼ watt of power compared to 1-5 watt 2 way radios and lets face it what is a cell phone nothing more than a fancy 2 way radio.
Now I am not condemning the Radio or Cellular Industry but we need answers. It is well known in the Ham Radio and General broadcasting Communities the dangers of Radio Frequency waves on the body in high doses but what about continuous low doses.
Many early radio pioneers just like those who developed Uranium died of Cancer
Because of inadequate shielding.
Some studies are suggesting there is something there including recent studies by UPMC
Researchers on cell phones . If this is the case we then need to do more studies and then develop a plan for better shielding if this is the case , so we are not putting others at risk.
Just like with Fire Codes they are developed as we learn thru tragedy and yes we all know there are dangers to any occupation we go into and we try to limit them.
Any time we bring a new product into the market place there are always unknowns.
But if every time we wanted to bring a new product or procedure into this world we had to do a 30 year long term study first where would we be.
So OK im bringing up the question is the radio industry ready to run with it and either prove or disprove it and take corrective action if needed or is everyone going to just hide there head in the sand like we normally do.
In particular cell phones operate at a much higher frequency 900 MHz to just in the Microwave range. Plus new style cordless phones operate well into the microwave band at 2.9 and 5.8 GHz plus all the wireless routers and everything else around us are we getting harmed by all this electronic pollution. Maybe, Maybe not.
But there are some people who claim the Wi-FI internet Routers at 2.9 GHz causes them problems .Have you ever had a Sprint / Nextel 2way walkie talkie phone like I did when it was on my hip you could feel a small buzz sometimes when it was getting ready to beep. I leave my cell phone on top of my multi band radio and like to listen and fall a sleep to a talk radio station and often time’s right before I get a late night text message
There is a surging noise in my multi band shortwave radio from the phone as it gets the wake up call from the cell tower.
Unfortunately as long as the radio industry keeps hiding its head in the sand we may not know till it is too late for many of us. They keep saying no yet studies suggest something else. Lets get correct answers and settle this now once and for all.