Filter
Top Products
Not for commercial use
– Ericsson Inc.
10 Guidelines for Safe and Efficient Use
ation 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, fol-
low-up research is necessary.
2
FDA is currently working with government, indus-
try, and academic groups to ensure the proper fol-
low-up to these industry-funded research findings.
Collaboration with the Cellular Telecommunica-
tions Industry Association (CTIA) in particular is
expected to lead to FDA providing research recom-
mendations and scientific oversight of new CTIA-
funded research based on such recommendations.
Two other studies of interest have been reported recently
in the literature:
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 com-
pared.
3
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, how-
ever, 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.
What is known about cases of human cancer that have
been reported in users of hand-held mobile phones?
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
Ditto Lornetta.book Page 10 Thursday, July 13, 2000 3:55 PM