Can cell phones cause brain tumors?

Maureen Dowd raises the question about potential cell phone radiation hazards in a column about San Francisco's modest legislation to require dislcosure of phone radiation levels and the phone industry's angry reaction. Mayor Gavin Newsom makes a reasonable point:

“Since our bill is relatively benign,” Newsom said, “it begs the question, why did they work so hard and spend so much money to kill it? I’ve become more fearful, not less, because of their reaction. It’s like BP. Shouldn’t they be doing whatever it takes to protect their global shareholders?”

Research on the health hazards is inconclusive. But Dowd observes:

We don’t yet really know the physical and psychological impact of being slaves to technology. We just know that technology is a narcotic. We’re living in the cloud, in a force field, so afraid of being disconnected and plunged into a world of silence and stillness that even if scientists told us our computers would make our arms fall off, we’d probably keep typing.

I wonder if I should reconsider my decision late last week that it was finally time for me to have a mobile phone, smart variety.