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1. In a hospital-based, case-control study, researchers looked
for an association between mobile phone use and either glioma
(a type of brain cancer) or acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor
of the nerve sheath). No statistically significant association
was found between mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma.
There was also no association between mobile phone use
and gliomas when all types of types of gliomas were consid-
ered together. It should be noted that the average length of
mobile phone exposure in this study was less than three years.
When 20 types of glioma were considered separately, how-
ever, an association was found between mobile phone use
and one rare type of glioma, neuroepithelliomatous tumors. It
is possible with multiple comparisons of the same sample that
this association occurred by chance. Moreover, the risk did
not increase with how often the mobile phone was used, or
the length of the calls. In fact, the risk actually decreased with
cumulative hours of mobile phone use. Most cancer causing
agents increase risk with increased exposure. An ongoing
study of brain cancers by the National Cancer Institute is ex-
pected to bear on the accuracy and repeatability of these re-
sults.
1
2. Researchers conducted a large battery of laboratory tests
to assess the effects of exposure to mobile phone RF on ge-
netic material. These included tests for several kinds of ab-
normalities, including mutations, chromosomal aberrations,
DNA strand breaks, and structural changes in the genetic
material of blood cells called lymphocytes. None of the tests
showed any effect of the RF except for the micronucleus as-
say, which detects structural effects on the genetic material.
The cells in this assay showed changes after exposure to simu-
lated cell phone radiation, but only after 24 hours of exposure.
It is possible that exposing the test cells to radiation for this
long resulted in heating. Since this assay is known to be sen-
sitive to heating, heat alone could have caused the abnor-
malities to occur. The data already in the literature on the re-
sponse of the micronucleus assay to RF are conflicting. Thus,
follow-up research is necessary.
2
FDA is currently working with government, industry, and aca-
demic groups to ensure the proper follow-up to these indus-
try-funded research findings. Collaboration with the Cellular
Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) in particu-
lar is expected to lead to FDA providing research recommen-
dations and scientific oversight of new CTIA-funded research
based on such recommendations.
Two other studies of interest have been reported recently in
the literature:
1. Two groups of 18 people were exposed to simulated mobile
phone signals under laboratory conditions while they per-
formed cognitive function tests. There were no changes in the
subjects’ ability to recall words, numbers, or pictures, or in
their spatial memory, but they were able to make choices more
quickly in one visual test when they were exposed to simu-
lated mobile phone signals. This was the only change noted
among more than 20 variables compared.
3
1
Muscat et al. Epidemiological Study of Cellular Telephone
Use and Malignant Brain Tumors. In: State of the Science
Symposium;1999 June 20; Long Beach, California.
2
Tice et al. Tests of mobile phone signals for activity in
genotoxicity and other laboratory assays. In: Annual Meet-
ing of the Environmental Mutagen Society; March 29, 1999,
Washington, D.C.; and personal communication, unpub-
lished results.
3
Preece, AW, Iwi, G, Davies-Smith, A, Wesnes, K, Butler, S,
Lim, E, and Varey, A. Effect of a 915-MHz simulated mobile
phone signal on cognitive function in man. Int. J. Radiat.
Biol., April 8, 1999.