We aren’t shaken by killer quakes in Berks, but are we rattled by cellphones?

Folks are glued to their cellphones

If we all lived forever, do you realize how difficult it would be to get a decent tee time or dinner reservations at a reasonable hour?

Not to mention that the traffic gridlock would be ungodly.

Which is why the Grim Reaper always is lurking somewhere, gleefully waiting to thin the herd.

There are, of course, a whole medley of terminal diseases.

And there are all sorts of accidents. Vehicular, aerial, industrial, slipping on soap in the shower, parachuting into quicksand, etc.

Getting hit by a falling piano from the 34th floor always is a possibility if you’re visiting a major city.

Apparently the dark angel in black soon may be working considerable overtime, especially in California.

As you know, sooner or later the “Big One” is going to shake, rattle and roll California more violently than an entire invasion of heavy metal bands.

Scientists are virtually certain that California will be rocked by a strong earthquake in the next 30 years. They say the risk of a mega-quake (magnitude 8) is more likely than previously thought.

Thank God we live in Berks County. We have a low earthquake risk because we don’t live on shaky ground unless there is a jackhammer nearby.

The United States Geological Survey database shows that there is only a 2.04 percent chance of a major earthquake within 50 kilometers of Reading within the next 50 years.

Now why can’t roulette tables have the same great odds?

Granted, we in Berks County — like the rest of the civilized and even parts of the uncivilized world — may not be so fortunate when it comes to cellphones.

As you know, folks are glued to their cellphones. They’ve become part of our DNA. We don’t need our appendix. But we do need our cellphones. And our brains.

Blame it on the mindset that too much of a good thing never is a good thing, but people began to fret that cellphones cause cancer, especially brain cancer.

Of course, a healthy brain is a good thing to have — unless you’re in telemarketing.

Many years’ worth of studies on cellphones and cancer have yielded conflicting results.

After evaluating several studies on the possibility of a connection between cellphones and glioma and a noncancerous brain tumor known as acoustic neuroma, the International Agency for Research on Cancer agreed that there’s limited evidence that cellphone radiation is a cancer-causing agent (carcinogenic).

As a result, the group classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to people.

Still, a series of recent studies can’t tell the entire story. It often takes many years between the use of a new cancer-causing agent, such as tobacco, and the observation of an increase in cancer rates.

At this point, it’s possible that too little time has passed to detect an increase in cancer rates directly attributable to cellphone use.

The bottom line? For now, no one knows if cellphones are capable of causing cancer.

Although long-term studies are ongoing, to date there’s no convincing evidence that cellphone use increases the risk of cancer.

Personally, I think that the cellphone cancer scare is a crock. There simply are some among us who worry about new technology.

Remember when microwave ovens, power lines and computer monitors were viewed by some as deadlier than a standup comic without a sense of humor?

Remember the myth that the invention of the wheel rolled in the bubonic plague?

If you remain concerned about the possible link between cellphones and cancer, consider limiting your use of cellphones — or use a speaker or hands-free device that places the cellphone antenna, which is typically in the cellphone itself, away from your head.

Two other options: Stick close to your landline phone or send smoke signals.

Better yet, simply talk to the person next to you.