The turn-around for technology in this information age is something like 3-5 years. If you have a product like say cell phones, or something new like “mega bad-assed high speed wireless internet on your glasses” the time it takes from conception to a product, including “adequate” human testing is 3-5 years. In the past to get something integrated into our society it took something like 10-30 years from conception to implementation.
In the past there was an awful lot of time devoted to proper planning and testing. I suppose some of it may have been a huge waste and for certain things I do rightfully agree. So while our human bodies may be able to take say cell phone waves passing through our bodies from one tower, has anyone done the proper testing to make sure we could endure the incredibly high (and growing) number of cell towers around us? Not that I know of, and that bugs the crap out of me.
What made me write about all of this? An article on MSN here. It speaks about how there is a unofficial link between cell phone usage and a lowered sperm count in males. This doesn't actually surprise me that it's possible nor does it surprise me “fertility experts dismissed Monday as inconclusive” was in the opening paragraph. Of course it'd be inconclusive even if it actually had a kernel of truth. Would you want to be responsible for recalling every cell phone and forcing every manufacturer to rethink cell phones if not completely abandon the idea altogether (provided no safe alternative can be found). In actuality even if it was proven to cause AIDS, people would still talk on the damn things I'm sure so it probably doesn't even matter.
At least this article and the study has produced this:
The World Health Organization has said none of the recent reviews has concluded that exposure to radio frequency waves from cell phones or their base stations damages health, but stresses that more studies are needed.
Personally I don't like cell phones but that's not the point of this writing. The point is that for nearly ALL technology, there is no adequate long term testing plans in place. I don't care if you've tested cell phones to make sure lab rats won't get cancer in 3 years of exposure. I want to know whether or not in 20 or 30 years my nuts are going to fall off because you didn't properly test the technology.
I do understand the shortcomings of long term testing. This means from an investment standpoint that you will have to be trusted with your innovation. This also means that if you test for that long and come up short you are more likely to fudge the results than to scrap your project. You make no money by doing it this way when you can just rush your product to the shelves and hope it doesn't kill people 20 or 30 years later.
There are a number of key areas that I feel deserve long term testing:
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Cell phone waves
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Sattelite waves
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Television waves
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Radio waves
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Radiation from CRT or LCD monitors
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Pollution in general (mainly car and it's affect on the human body)
Mainly the areas have to deal specifically with something that either affects the human body (radio waves passing through us) or has an impact on humanity as a whole. While there is adequate short term testing of things like cell phone waves, no one has tested the increase in towers. While one tower may not harm you, having 20 in your back yard may cause you to grow a third arm. The same holds true for satellites, television and radio. While one station may be okay, introducing thousands may cause long term issues.
I suppose my mind lives in a Utopia that my body will never know. I probably come off as someone that “worries” about this but I don't really. I just understand that people do cut corners and some of them will impact humanity as a whole. I realized early on that I share this planet with other people and even when I die, it'll continue to be shared by millions of plants and animals. Who am I to trash it, even if it feels like the right thing to do? I mean it's one thing if I built this planet, but last time I checked I wasn't God. If I was God I wouldn't be blogging about it, I'd be beaming my thoughts directly into your head because that's a more efficient method of communication.