January 9, 2000
MIRROR, MIRROR
Fearing Rads, Cell Addicts Sprout Wires
By PENELOPE GREEN
WHEN the Crowbar club opened in Miami last week, so many people in
the crowd milling around outside were wired into their cell phones
that "it looked like some sort of commando operation was about to
be enacted," said Tom Austin, who writes about night life for Ocean
Drive magazine in Miami Beach. "I swear there were, like, 14,000
cell phones," he continued, "and guys were talking into their
shirts, trying to call the owner of the club to get in. Those
headset things have become the weirdest accessory down here."
Lana Bernstein, a colleague of Mr. Austin's, reported that at an
Ocean Drive staff meeting, wires were hanging from everybody's
ears. "It's quite a look," she said, "especially when they leave
the meeting and start talking to themselves and waving their hands
around."
In New York City, the public use of cell phone headsets hasn't
quite reached Miami levels yet, but the sets are poised to become
the big accessory for spring -- more useful on the head than a bra
strap, and more attractive.
Have you seen these things? They are little wires hanging from
earplugs, and together with a microphone that clips to your shirt
they relay conversations to and from a cell phone stashed in a
pocket. Why? To a certain degree, because people are worried about
brain tumors. My friend Bob has been talking about the boiled egg
trick for weeks now.
"They put an egg between two cell phones and in a few minutes. . .
." He pauses dramatically. "In a few minutes the egg has boiled!"
You will not be able to duplicate these results at home; cell
phones don't really boil eggs. But you might take note, as Bob and
others have, of the genesis of the egg myth, which is rooted in
increasing uneasiness about the health effects of cellular phone
use. Or you might just respond, as I did, by pointing out that the
egg didn't get cancer, so why worry?
The fuss over cell phones and brain tumors, which has been present
in some form almost since the phones' invention, traces to the fact
that their antennae emit radiation, or microwaves, which is how
they find and receive signals from network beacons. Recent news
reports have stirred a new round of jumpiness over the idea of
microwaves pouring into peoples' heads, and thus the craze in some
cities for headsets, which allow the phones to be somewhere other
than next to the ear.
No studies directly link cell phone use to brain cancer. But all
sorts of weird data is accumulating, said Dr. George L. Carlo, a
lawyer with a Ph.D. in pathology, who was hired by the wireless
phone industry's trade association to head up research in the area.
Last fall Dr. Carlo broke ranks with the industry, announcing that
study results he had marshaled from around the world added up to
one big question mark. He has scolded cell phone makers for saying
their technology is safe without qualification, and urges further
investigation.
In late November, the ABC News program "20/20" broadcast a report
detailing tests that it said were independently conducted and
measured the amount of radiation that penetrated the head from
different cell phone models being used in different positions.
Radiation from four of the five phones tested exceeded a Federal
Communications Commission guideline in at least one position in
analog mode, "20/20" said, except when headsets were used.
The wireless telecommunications industry quickly denounced the
"20/20" methodology, along with Dr. Carlo's apostasy, but by then
many people had jumped to their own conclusions. Publicists,
Hollywood agents, rap stars and other cell phone abusers bought
headsets by the carload, and the public areas of certain cities
began to look like the grounds of an old-fashioned mental
institution, its inmates pacing and frantically gesturing, all
engaged in heated conversation with . . . themselves. Or so it
seemed to the rest of us.
The latest headsets, which hook behind the ear, are a logical
evolution from an earlier look, the headband headset with a
microphone arm, worn by Madonna during her "Blond Ambition" tour,
as well as by the actors in most Broadway musicals, N.F.L. coaches
and the sales folk in Gap stores.
Now, walking around with discreet wires trailing from their ears,
whole segments of the citizenry seem to be auditioning for a
"Mission: Impossible" sequel. "It was the whole thing of 'I can be
a secret agent,' " said Megan Matthews, a spokeswoman for Nokia,
the giant cell phone maker. "All of a sudden you saw people in
airports talking to themselves. We've been making headsets for
about four years; this is not a new thing for us."
Ms. Matthews said sales of headsets have been steady since their
introduction, which was "an extension of the whole personalization
thing and the convenience factor" and had nothing to do with
perceived health risks. People want their hands free while talking
on a cell phone. "The '20/20' show had no effect on our business,"
she said. "Today there is no reason for concern."
Gavin Polone, a talent manager and producer in Hollywood who
started using a headset about three months ago, called from his car
to talk about it. "I produced two movies in one month last year,
and I was talking on my cell phone constantly," he said. "Maybe it
was psychosomatic, but I had headaches all the time. Anyway, it's
just easier to do other things, like drive, with a headset."
Headset prices range from about $30 to $70. Cellwest.com sells a
clear plastic one that lights up when you have a call. As with any
hot consumer product, selling accessories to go with it is a smart
business move. This would seem especially true with cell phones,
which, like the Nasdaq stock index, have had a giddy rise.
There are more than 70 million cell phone subscribers in the
country, and counting. Clearly, no one is going to stop talking.
Now companies like Wavelength Technologies are making cell phone
sheaths designed to absorb the radiation emitted by both the phone
and its antenna. Made of leather, wire mesh and PVC laminate, among
other things, the Microshield sheath costs $59 and is available at
www.wavelengthonline.com.
What's the appeal? Well, consider that you've bought a headset, but
while you use it, your cell phone is shoved into a hip or breast
pocket, theoretically pumping microwaves into some other, more
vulnerable part of your body. "I mean, at least your head is
covered by your skull," said Kimberly Thier, who leases commercial
real estate in Manhattan and was "totally freaked out last month by
the '20/20' thing." Ms. Thier and her friends are all using the
Microshield. "Everywhere I go," she said, "people are asking me
about it. I'm not into this health stuff, but for me it's a win-win
thing."
With your hands free while using a headset, what else might you do?
How about going online? Ms. Matthews of Nokia said one big trend
for her company was wireless and Internet combinations, so that now
you can buy a phone with a built-in Web browser.
"Pervasive computing" is the buzz phrase for such activity, said
Michael Wolff, author of "Burnrate: How I Survived the Gold Rush
Years on the Internet" (Simon & Schuster). "Also, digital
assistants," he added. "That is, those devices you surround
yourself with to put you into even closer touch with the
information flow. It's about intense wireless abilities, so you can
get your e-mail basically pumped into your head."
But can e-mail boil an egg?
Click here.
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