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– Ericsson Inc.
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genetic material. The cells in this assay showed changes after
exposure to simulated 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 sensitive to heating, heat alone could have caused the
abnormalities to occur. The data already in the literature on the
response of the micronucleus assay to RF are conflicting. Thus,
follow-up research is necessary.
2
FDA is currently working with government, industry, and
academic groups to ensure the proper follow-up to these industry-
funded research findings. Collaboration with the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) in particular is
expected to lead to FDA providing research recommendations 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 performed
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 simulated mobile phone
signals. This was the only change noted among more than 20
variables compared.
3
2 In a study of 209 brain tumor cases and 425 matched controls,
there was no increased risk of brain tumors associated with mobile
phone use. When tumors did exist in certain locations, however,
they were more likely to be on the side of the head where the
mobile phone was used. Because this occurred in only a small
number of cases, the increased likelihood was too small to be
statistically significant.
4
In summary, we do not have enough information at this point to
assure the public that there are, or are not, any low incident health
problems associated with use of mobile phones. FDA continues to
work with all parties, including other federal agencies and industry,
to assure that research is undertaken to provide the necessary answers
to the outstanding questions about the safety of mobile phones.
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Some people who have used mobile phones have been diagnosed
with brain cancer. But it is important to understand that this type of
cancer also occurs among people who have not used mobile phones.
In fact, brain cancer occurs in the U.S. population at a rate of about
6 new cases per 100,000 people each year. At that rate, assuming
80 million users of mobile phones (a number increasing at a rate of
about 1 million per month), about 4800 cases of brain cancer would
be expected each year among those 80 million people, whether or
not they used their phones. Thus it is not possible to tell whether
any individual’s cancer arose because of the phone, or whether it
would have happened anyway. A key question is whether the risk of
getting a particular form of cancer is greater among people who use
mobile phones than among the rest of the population. One way to
answer that question is to compare the usage of mobile phones
among people with brain cancer with the use of mobile phones
among appropriately matched people without brain cancer. This is
called a case-control study.
The current case-control study of brain cancers by the National
Cancer Institute, as well as the follow-up research to be sponsored by
industry, will begin to generate this type of information.
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