Cell phones and "behavioral toxicity"

Neil Rubin, a Detroit News columnist, wrote an article on cell-phone dangers that was published in the June 16, 2011, edition of the paper. Mr. Rubin pointed out that there really is no proof of danger from cell phone radiation. As I read the article, I thought of a term in the drug abuse field that is relevant to cell-phone dangers: "Behavioral Toxicity." I e-mailed the following letter (in part) to Mr. Rubin.

There are few, if any, documented cases in which an individual has died due to an overdose of marijuana (spelled "marihuana" in Michigan's legal code) or LSD. However, if an LSD user thinks he can fly like Superman and jumps off the Penobscot Building, that person will assuredly die. And if a driver who has used marijuana doesn't "think" to stop at a railroad crossing and strikes a passing train, that person will also die. Similarly, the cell phone radiation may not cause brain tumors. If a driver, however, talks on a cell phone (and/or texts) while driving, that person has a much higher liklihood of being involved in a crash, possibly a fatal one. This is an example of what can be called "behavioral toxicity."