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Electromagnetic Radiation/Fields and cancer

  • 30-05-2007 11:03am
    #1
    pH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭


    I'm sure we've all heard about the latest WIFI EM scare (see bad science) but now we have what appears to be a published study of an Electromagnetic Field *curing* cancer in the brain

    A device that specifically targets rapidly growing cancer cells with intermediate frequency electrical fields -- called Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields) -- doubled the survival rates of patients with brain cancer, according to a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal article.
    http://pressesc.com/01180456249_brain_cancer_electric_field

    I thought I had a reasonable grasp on this (non-ionising radiation and all that), but obviously I don't. What is an electromagnetic field as opposed to electromagnetic radiation, and what is its 'frequency'

    Does this lend credence to the 'Power lines cause cancer' claims or the Mobile phones/WIFI is bad for you claims?

    Original published paper : http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/64/9/3288


Comments

  • #2
    5uspect
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,518 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    pH wrote:
    I thought I had a reasonable grasp on this (non-ionising radiation and all that), but obviously I don't. What is an electromagnetic field as opposed to electromagnetic radiation, and what is its 'frequency'

    I also not totally sure myself either. This reminds me of the climate change skepticism thats been in the media lately. It would be great to have a good source of informed, clear and concise information (rather than the usual misinformation) on these topics.
    pH wrote:
    Does this lend credence to the 'Power lines cause cancer' claims or the Mobile phones/WIFI is bad for you claims?

    I'm sure many will jump to the "if it can cure it then it can cause it" conclusion.


  • #3
    Son Goku
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭Son Goku


    pH wrote:
    I thought I had a reasonable grasp on this (non-ionising radiation and all that), but obviously I don't. What is an electromagnetic field as opposed to electromagnetic radiation, and what is its 'frequency'
    Electromagnetic Radiation is a specific special case of an electromagnetic field. An electromagnetic field is an physical system built purely out of photons. An example of an electromagnetic field that isn't electromagnetic radiation would be the field inside a battery that causes electricity to flow.

    (N.B. Electricity is not actually electromagnetism. Electricity can create and be moved by electromagnetism. The relation between electricity and electromagnetism is similar to the relation between mass and gravity. Electricity is the substance and electromagnetism is the force.)


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