I'm sure I'll be corrected, (and if so, I welcome it, but bear in mind that there are multiple authors with multiple explanations of how this tech works, so I'm not sure there is a 100% right answer) but my understanding of how phasers work is that they can be set to a frequency and intensity that disrupts neural activity temporarily (stun), another that does so permanently (kill), and yet another that can heat by exciting molecular activity (heat), and yet another that can do that to the extent of breaking an item's molecular bonds altogether.
Given that description of how they work (or any other you care to offer, because I believe this will probably still hold), how are they *not* increasing incidence of cancer, even on light stun? Maybe they do, and for the major galactic civilizations this is just something that the medical staff quietly takes care of on a regular basis? If so, what does that mean ethically when our hero crews go merrily waving their cancer wands at native "primitives" while on away team missions?
Given that description of how they work (or any other you care to offer, because I believe this will probably still hold), how are they *not* increasing incidence of cancer, even on light stun? Maybe they do, and for the major galactic civilizations this is just something that the medical staff quietly takes care of on a regular basis? If so, what does that mean ethically when our hero crews go merrily waving their cancer wands at native "primitives" while on away team missions?
