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With all the radiation "reports" going on, is it okay to use them? Or does this fall under watching one's safety?

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Cell phone use is so widespread and the results of these studies are sketchy at best. Even if there is truth to the "reports", since the use of cell phones is so widespread it falls under the category of Shomer Pisayim Hashem, G-d guards fools. i.e. It is permissible to use cellphones.

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If at some point in the future, the research became more conclusive that there was a health risk (unlikely, IMHO) and cellphone use became far less widespread (ha ha), halacha would reevaluate things. But in the meantime, we believe God runs the world, and thus we're allowed to take the risks associated with "normal behavior" as we know it in our culture and time period. – Shalom Jun 23 '10 at 12:42
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A better question would be calling or texting while driving. – Shalom Jun 23 '10 at 12:44
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Heck, a better question would be about driving in the first place, with or without a cellphone. I guarantee that getting in a car increases one's chances of injury or ChV"Sh worse many times more than talking on a cellphone. – Isaac Moses Jun 24 '10 at 1:08
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Correct. I think in America today, driving a reasonably safe car in a reasonably safe way is considered normal risk, and thus allowed. Based on anecdotes, my conjecture is that R' Moshe Feinstein (b. 1895 in Russia) regarded cars as risky, and thus when riding in a cutting-edge-1950s car with this new thingy called a seatbelt, he didn't see the point in putting it on -- it was like buying two lottery tickets instead of one. TODAY HOWEVER, when everyone drives, and all cars have seatbelts as we know how much they save lives, driving is allowed as normal risk ONLY with a seatbelt. – Shalom Jun 24 '10 at 14:17
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You know what I love about that story everyone knows it and everyone says it over says not to repeat it. – YRU Jun 25 '10 at 4:05

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