3 ms·

`Not ionizing radiation.. so _Can't_ give you cancer` may be a bit strong though. (Are there other causes of cancer other than ionizing radiation?). -some rand

• colordrops 9y ago
  Yes, a lot: * Genetics * Natural mutations * Viruses * A huge list of substances (called carcinogens), including alcohol * Being overweight, sedentary, or otherwise unhealthy
  • dekhn 9y ago
    note that being overweight or sedentary is a risk factor for cancer. I don't think it's correct to say it "causes cancer" in the same way that, say, drinking a liter of ethidium bromide would. Edit: I just had to look up how carcinogenic EB is, and all I have to say is that I'm very disappointed. I should have said radium paint.
• greglindahl 9y ago
  There are plenty of things that damage DNA in the test tube, some of which cause cancer. Ionizing radiation is one such thing, and the mechanism behind it is that 1905 paper. Many other examples are chemicals.
  • dekhn 9y ago
    (for the curious, he's referring to Einstein's paper on the photoelectric effect, for which he won his Nobel Prize. Some consider that paper "more interesting" than general relativity, and the paper is considered an essential step in the progress from classicial to quantum physics. While very important, it bears little importance to the question of whether cell phone usage causes cancer).
    • greglindahl 9y ago
      It bears a lot of importance, for the reasons I mentioned earlier. But now we're just repeating ourselves repeatedly, which doesn't do anyone any good. In 20 years, when this turns out exactly like the high voltage lines cause cancer scare, we can have a beer and laugh about the whole thing. Especially about all the money wasted.