Bill outlines cell phone cancer warning
12/21/09 | 56 comments

Bill outlines cell phone cancer warning


By Glenn Adams
The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine — A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer, although there is no consensus among scientists that they do and industry leaders dispute the claim.

The now-ubiquitous devices carry such warnings in some countries, though no U.S. states require them, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. A similar effort is afoot in San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom wants his city to be the nation's first to require the warnings.

Maine Rep. Andrea Boland, D-Sanford, said numerous studies point to the cancer risk, and she has persuaded legislative leaders to allow her proposal to come up for discussion during the 2010 session that begins in January, a session usually reserved for emergency and governors’ bills.

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Boland herself uses a cell phone, but with a speaker to keep the phone away from her head. She also leaves the phone off unless she’s expecting a call. At issue is radiation emitted by all cell phones.

Under Boland’s bill, manufacturers would have to put labels on phones and packaging warning of the potential for brain cancer associated with electromagnetic radiation. The warnings would recommend that users, especially children and pregnant women, keep the devices away from their head and body. The Federal Communications Commission, which maintains that all cell phones sold in the U.S. are safe, has set a standard for the “specific absorption rate” of radio frequency energy, but it doesn’t require handset makers to divulge radiation levels.

The San Francisco proposal would require the display of the absorption rate level next to each phone in print at least as big as the price. Boland’s bill is not specific about absorption rate levels, but would require a permanent, nonremovable advisory of risk in black type, except for the word “warning,” which would be large and in red letters. It also would include a color graphic of a child’s brain next to the warning.

While there’s little agreement about the health hazards, Boland said Maine’s roughly 950,000 cell phone users among its 1.3 million residents “do not know what the risks are.”

All told, more than 270 million people subscribed to cellular telephone service last year in the United States, an increase from 110 million in 2000, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association. The industry group contends the devices are safe.

“With respect to the matter of health effects associated with wireless base stations and the use of wireless devices, CTIA and the wireless industry have always been guided by science, and the views of impartial health organizations. The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk,” said CTIA's John Walls.

James Keller, of Lewiston, whose cell phone serves as his only phone, seemed skeptical about warning labels. He said many things may cause cancer but lack scientific evidence to support that belief. Besides, he said, people can’t live without cell phones.

“It seems a little silly to me, but it’s not going to hurt anyone to have a warning on there. If they’re really concerned about it, go ahead and put a warning on it,” he said outside a sporting good store in Topsham. “It wouldn’t deter me from buying a phone.” While there have been no long-term studies on cell phones and cancer, some scientists suggest erring on the side of caution.

Last year, Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, sent a memo to about 3,000 faculty and staff members warning of risks based on early, unpublished data. He said that children should use the phones only for emergencies because their brains were still developing and that adults should keep the phone away from the head and use a speakerphone or a wireless headset.

Herberman, who says scientific conclusions often take too long, is one of numerous doctors and researchers who have endorsed an August report by retired electronics engineer L. Lloyd Morgan. The report highlights a study that found significantly increased risk of brain tumors from 10 or more years of cell phone or cordless phone use.

Also, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international group of scientists, notes that many countries have issued warnings and that the European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for governmental action to address concerns over health risks from mobile phone use.

But the National Cancer Institute said studies thus far have turned up mixed and inconsistent results, noting that cell phones did not come into widespread use in the United States until the 1990s.

“Although research has not consistently demonstrated a link between cellular telephone use and cancer, scientists still caution that further surveillance is needed before conclusions can be drawn,” according to the Cancer Institute’s Web site.

Motorola Inc., one of the nation’s major wireless phone makers, says on its Web site that all of its products comply with international safety guidelines for radio frequency energy exposure.

A Motorola official referred questions to CTIA.

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Comments
56 comments on this item
On 12/20/09 at 8:10 PM, MaineSurvivor2 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

This is what our legislators are wasting their time on!!?? Oh my God!! Show Andrea Boland the door on the next election! She clearly has too much time on her hands. We can supply school children with needed supplies with the saved salary we are paying her. This is just outlandish and a waste of taxpayer money. The next thing you know our legislators will be wasting time and money talking about global warming!! What a crock!!

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On 12/20/09 at 8:19 PM, PabMainer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Maybe these warning labels will work as well on cell phones as they have on cigarette packs.....oh that's right smoking actually does cause cancer....

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On 12/20/09 at 8:32 PM, mainesaki wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It already served it's purpose and got her name in the news all over the place.

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On 12/20/09 at 8:42 PM, Ronald wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

this is like beating a dead horse. people will pay as much attention to a label on phones as they do to a label on cigarettes...and cell phones are more addictive than cigarettes, so go figure. GOOD LUCK!

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On 12/20/09 at 8:47 PM, redstatepublius wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Can we put a warning label on stupid politicians? "Hazardous to our political health and freedom!"

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On 12/20/09 at 9:58 PM, PaulNotBunyan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Who needs labels? We can just text a daily warning message to everybody during the rush hour. I think some of them only have time to read messages while driving.

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On 12/20/09 at 11:43 PM, Steve63 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Good to know the lunatic fringe law makers are hard at work STILL trying to save us from ourselves. NO MORE STUPID LAWS!!!!!!!

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On 12/21/09 at 6:38 AM, InsideFever wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Talk about smoke and mirrors. There is no scientific evidence linking cell phones to cancer. Instead of wasting time and money on frivolous laws, the state needs to focus on more immediate public health concerns. The rapant drug and alcohol abuse in Maine continues to go unrecognized. It's time for action, not distraction.

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On 12/21/09 at 7:35 AM, freedomfighter wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

They also make you look like an idiot when they are stuck to your head at the grocery store, pumping gas, driving etc. They definitely cause some kind of mental problems.

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On 12/21/09 at 8:37 AM, JUSTtheFACTSplease wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I think that politicians should wait until they know for sure what the risks are before pushing this bill through.

I don't think that it will change anyones actions.

Everyone can guarantee that if the cell phone companies have to spend money on printing warnings on each phone they will pass the cost on to the consumer.

Don't they have anything more important to discuss in Augusta?

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On 12/21/09 at 8:52 AM, commonsense wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Seriously, once I stop laughing I will be able to writes something legible. We'd all be better off it every single rep in the entire country took a year of two, or three off. He, he.......good god.

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On 12/21/09 at 8:52 AM, Portboy wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Is this the best that Rep. Boland and the rest of the legislature can come up with? I agree we need a warning sign on Politicians (maybe on the forehead?) that says WARNING: Letting this person decide your future and your financial health is dangerous!! With all of our problems with government this is the best you can come up with? You may be educated and you may be brilliant but you don't have the common sense to come in out of the rain! Stop trying to be the crusading savior and start dealing with the big issues!! I still like the idea of a MUCH smaller legislature! Maybe 45 Representatives and 16 Senators. One from each County in the Senate and the Representatives by population with equal representation. Leave these ridiculous safety issues to the bureaucrats who have some idea about what they are doing!! With all of the boondoogles out there Andrea should be working 18 hours a day trying to get a handle on all that is wrong with politics and politicians!! Start with those that have petty concerns and the lack of common sense that allows them to waste the legislatures time with this crap. This includes those that allow these petty issues to see the light of day!! There may be some risk with cell phones but measuring it and deciding on the warning levels needed is for professionals and scientists that do the research not politicians!! Who is going to be brave enough to tell me I can't eat bacon because of the fat and nitrates in it or that I have to eat my veggies because they are good for me? People that try to dictate what I do, eat or don't do lost that right when I grew into my teens and until I reach my dotage the right to decide what I do won't return!

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On 12/21/09 at 8:56 AM, ricts1 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Ther are somany devices in our world that generate RF (radio-frequency) that to prove cell-phones being a cause will be nearly impossible. Many of us have wireless routers for our computers, and even if we don't, our neighbors and businesses do. Wireless security systems are abundant. Our vehicles have 4 or more different computers in them, all capable of generating RF. Microwave ovens. Business radios in use all around us. Wirless internet being microwaved into homes (Red Zone, etc). Cordless phones generate RF. This list could go on and on and on. Perhaps one day there may be a causal link from too mucg Rf being harmful, but to think that a 600milliwat cellphone (if they even have that much power these days, likely not) is any more harmful than anything else is frivolous. The CB radio (and it's accompanying 1500watt illegal amplifier) that is in the 18-wheeler you are travelling along on the interstate is far more llikely to be harmful than your cell-phone.

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On 12/21/09 at 8:57 AM, ricts1 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Holy smokes, could I have butchered the spelling in that post any more? :) Sorry, must proofread better! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas everyone.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:00 AM, scooterj62 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Here they go in DisGusta again. This only reinforces the need our state has to abolish the house of Representatives and go to a single body, the senate. While they are not any better, eliminating this forum for the mentally absent, should slow down the narrow-minded stupid bills being presented by the circus we call the legislature! Think of the money saved in salaries, staffers, and office expenses and fewer hairball bills!

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On 12/21/09 at 9:07 AM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm going to introduce a bill to put Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) on cell phones..

2 minites on the phone 5 minutes off. Kind of like a duty cycle.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:13 AM, MikeinFK wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm going to introduce a bill to put Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) on politians..

2 minites talking, 5 days quiet. Kind of like a duty cycle.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:17 AM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

We tried to put a PEL on Electra.:)

Didn't work.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:30 AM, Serendipity wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It is foolish to say, "Well, I don't think it will deter anyone, so let them add the label."

Why? So we can waste tax payers money on the issue? It costs money to pass anything. Not to mention, the cell companies will up their prices because they sure as heck aren't going to eat the costs of having to have a whole department that oversees these warning labels and new machines that make and attach them.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:38 AM, 4495gov wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

you know, i read these comments, and i am amazed again as always at the arrogance......just because all of you folks claim to have insight does not make any of you an expert.....and there is even name calling going on.....let me just tell you a short story....listen up....i had insomnia from 1996--2008...i tried ambien, lunesta, various meds for sleep.....i was also told menopause was my problem....my general practitioner was simply brain-dead.....dr. russell blaylock, a retired brain surgeon, noted author and lecturer tells us to do this for relief.......remove all computers, televisions, cordless phones, cellphones, plus electric alarm clocks away from and out of the sleeping area......i did this, and replaced my alarm clock with a battery operated model.....within 3 short weeks i began to sleep 5-7 hours per night.....twelve months later, i am sleeping a full 9--10 hours.......end of problem.......he is right on target when he claims that microwaves disturb normal brain activity......just because reports are a bit slow coming forth about cancer being linked to cell phone usage does not mean that it is not possible.......do not be so quick to label something as hokey when you do not have but simply an opinion to go on and nothing else......i am fully aware of what just happened to senator ted kennedy of mass....what with his brain cancer......took 20 months for him to go belly-up......don't you folks read the news ??? we have a song we sing on sundays down at the church......goes like this---open your blind eyes----unblock your deaf ears......and so on......so just go on playing russian roulette with your health based upon diddley-squat in the knowledge dept. for some of you know-it-all blow holes......but, as for me......i do not need a warning label on a cellphone to tell me to listen up to a couple guys who are putting the word out to use caution for our own safety......it is better to stand out on 95 at night wearing black while smoking 2 cigarettes and eating an arsenic sandwich than to put a cellphone up to your skull......end of story.......merry christmas to all.....

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On 12/21/09 at 9:47 AM, PaulNotBunyan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

The airheads who think their phone is a fashion accessory are not going to like this a bit.

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On 12/21/09 at 9:49 AM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What don't kill you makes you stronger....

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On 12/21/09 at 9:53 AM, PaulNotBunyan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

4495gov......Maybe you're right.......I think exposure to microwaves........is affecting my nervous system.......anyway........it's definitely affecting my......writing style.........

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On 12/21/09 at 9:55 AM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

You guys could go out and purchase a NARDA probe and walk around your house sniffing out the RF energy that exists. If that makes you feel any better.

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On 12/21/09 at 10:02 AM, PaulNotBunyan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Telefunkinu47 - Shhhhhh! If they use the probe they will find all the monitoring devices we placed in their homes and brains.

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On 12/21/09 at 11:04 AM, gw2kpro wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I wish they'd put the time and effort spent on this into cleaning up the abuses of this State's entitlement systems.

Of course I think people who need help should get it. Unfortunately, there is rampant abuse.

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On 12/21/09 at 11:28 AM, LethbridgeStewart wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Hmm..I wonder if she uses wi-fi in her office? Or if that tinfoil messes up her hair...

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On 12/21/09 at 12:04 PM, ydnar723 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Your tax dollars at work.

In other news I heard listening to them people in Augusta causes a form of brain cancer.

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On 12/21/09 at 12:25 PM, SiddFinch wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What's is worse than an individual legislator introducing this bill? It is the Democratic leadership that declared this an emergency bill and allowed this session.

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On 12/21/09 at 12:32 PM, gerry04330 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What doesn't cause cancer, read the obituary's on any day, in any newspaper. Most of the people die from cancer or accidents there are not too many that die from old age

I believe in being cautious however lets pick a topic which I am sure will cause an uproar, That eating seafood or losbtet causes cancer or better yet a topic which has been proven, that eating beef will lead to a form of "mad-cow" disease or dementia also known as Alzheimers so what will we do ban mcdonalds and burgerking and so on. I can see it now a big sign that says eating beef will cause you to go nuts,

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On 12/21/09 at 12:37 PM, Beelzebubba wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I want "climate change" warnings issued on snow shovels.

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On 12/21/09 at 1:06 PM, ricts1 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Where did I put my tin-foil hat?

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On 12/21/09 at 2:11 PM, exlex94 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Would it be possible for the elected "leaders" of this state to give their attention to the financial crisis and the need for jobs rather then waste their time on such bills. This is just another example of why the state is where it is today.

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On 12/21/09 at 2:16 PM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Do you think that by shoveling snow we are speading up global warming Beelzebubba?????

Maybe there will be a bill telling us not to remove snow..

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On 12/21/09 at 2:37 PM, David889327 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Maine has the highest incidence of cancer in America.

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On 12/21/09 at 3:32 PM, concernsme wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

This is why a state with so few people has so many legislators in session for so long. YOU DON'T NEED A BILL FOR EVERYTHING!!!

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On 12/21/09 at 3:33 PM, concernsme wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

On 12/21/09 at 2:37 PM, David889327 wrote:

Maine has the highest incidence of cancer in America.

Maybe they should do a study to see if Allen's coffee brandy causes cancer.

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On 12/21/09 at 3:38 PM, David889327 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

concernsme, that's a "cheap shot" - get it?

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On 12/21/09 at 3:42 PM, JohnNick wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

We all have to go sometime, son. And you've used all your rollover minutes anyway.

If you want proof that cell phones cause brain damage, just listen to someone talking on one.

Nicotine causes cancer, so does the slightly burnt toast you ate this morning, so does the air you breathe, perhaps the fish you eat or tap water you drink.

I'm reminded of the fable of the boy who cried "wolf" because he was bored, lonely or whatever. So let's not issue warnings willy-nilly else they will be ignored when solid dangers are identified.

Seriously, there isn't anything in this world that will not cause damage when used in excess. We as a society have become so addicted to everything that we've completely lost the meaning of "Moderation".

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On 12/21/09 at 4:02 PM, concernsme wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

concernsme, that's a "cheap shot" - get it? LOL

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On 12/21/09 at 4:08 PM, onemanarmy wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Maine has the highest cancer rate cause we are the tail pipe of America. All the other states garbage blows this way.

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On 12/21/09 at 4:21 PM, chersully2000 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Yes, Maine does have the highest incidence of cancer in the whole U.S. Sure wish they could find out why, a lot more definitively.

JohnNick: Good point. Moderation in most things seems to be going by the wayside. I agree with that sentiment for the most part, although in some areas, such as smoking cigarettes, I would say even smoking in "moderation" is not going far enough. Still a proven health risk. That one is proven!

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On 12/21/09 at 4:22 PM, LarrySellers wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Oust Rep. Bolan next November Sanford...this is the kind of garbage we do not need to spend our time on. If cell phones are harmful, we don't need legislators to "protect" us.

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On 12/21/09 at 5:05 PM, Beelzebubba wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Rep. Boland was born and raised in the Boston area.

Does that tell ya anything?

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On 12/21/09 at 6:03 PM, wspahn wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Commonly encountered things that generate RF energy include, er... the Sun. Which is just a tad bit pre-industrial. I suspect if it were a serious problem someone would have noticed at some prior point in humanity's, what, 10,000 or so years of recorded history up to this point.

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On 12/21/09 at 6:21 PM, chersully2000 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

wspahn: The rate of melanoma (the most deadly form of skin cancer and one of the most virulent cancers) is way up....this is due to ,mostly, being unprotected in the sun, esp at certain times of the day, and especially for fairer skinned people. This is proven. This is nothing to do with the usage of cell phones (that is not proven) but the Sun is not completely a benign thing. Once again......moderation.

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On 12/21/09 at 7:21 PM, Bob_from_Orland wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I wonder if the state should come put a warning on my faucet too since my water contains Arsenic which is known to cause cancer. Maybe while they are at it, they could put warnings up all around the blueberry barrens around me too for the pesticides and weed killers they spray on them. Thank god for big brother.

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On 12/21/09 at 7:38 PM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Soon there will be an official warning not to eat yellow snow.

But it will have to be approved by some guy in orface.....

Common sense wouldnt come into play..

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On 12/21/09 at 8:00 PM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Just remember some people in life require guidence in life..

They seem to not be a function without someone pulling throgh life because they just cant seem to do it on their own...

1) Do not stick finger in outlet.

2) Don't walk in front of moving car.

3) Becareful of hot coffee, may burn.

4) Don't pee into the wind.....

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On 12/21/09 at 8:17 PM, PabMainer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

NO don't ban yellow snow...I like writing my name in yellow....

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On 12/21/09 at 8:29 PM, Stevey_Dee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm telling they better not do that......

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On 12/22/09 at 6:18 AM, proudmainemom wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Waste of time.... no one pays attention to warning lables.... and just how TINY would this lable be... heck you can't read most warning lables anyways so why was time and money on this....just place one large poster in stores so people won't read it anyways.... it is like NEW LAWS... no one obeys them.. or even knows of alot of them.... instead of doing this why not just inforce what we have for warnings and laws now

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On 12/22/09 at 10:30 AM, Gagelovesbasketball wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I think this is bogus, Cell phones are awesome!

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On 12/22/09 at 11:32 AM, choppahdave wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

They should put warnings on the laptops the State of Maine buys for all the kids. They might cause cancer of the private parts. Hard tellin' not knowin'.

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On 12/24/09 at 10:36 AM, wspahn wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

That's not cancer, choppahdave, it's just fatigue.

(As for the melanoma thing, chersully2000, well... saying "This is proven." doesn't actually prove anything. There's an entire generation of climate scientists who should be learning that particular lesson by now... )

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On 12/24/09 at 12:53 PM, chersully2000 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

wspahn: Sorry, but you are wrong.

This has nothing to do with cell phone usage......but, there is data (and doctors will confirm) the much higher incidences of melanoma now. Ask John McCain who knows a lot about this topic as he has battled it. The Reagan family also speaks of this and has a lot of knowledge about it, losing their family member, Maureen Reagan, at a young age, to skin cancer. The data and the reality is there. Be in denial if you wish.

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