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– Ericsson Inc.
Guidelines for Safe and Efficient Use 11
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 gener-
ate this type of information.
What is FDA’s role concerning the safety of mobile
phones?
Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radia-
tion-emitting consumer products such as mobile phones
before marketing, as it does with new drugs or medical
devices. However, the agency has authority to take
action if mobile phones are shown to emit radiation at a
level that is hazardous to the user. In such a case, FDA
could require the manufacturers of mobile phones to
notify users of the health hazard and to repair, replace or
recall the phones so that the hazard no longer exists.
Although the existing scientific data do not justify FDA
regulatory actions at this time, FDA has urged the
mobile phone industry to take a number of steps to
assure public safety. The agency has recommended that
the industry:
• support needed research into possible biological
effects of RF of the type emitted by mobile phones;
• design mobile phones in a way that minimizes any
RF exposure to the user that is not necessary for
device function; and
• cooperate in providing mobile phone users with the
best possible information on what is known about
possible effects of mobile phone use on human health.
At the same time, FDA belongs to an interagency work-
ing group of the federal agencies that have responsibility
for different aspects of mobile phone safety to ensure a
coordinated effort at the federal level. These agencies
are:
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Federal Communications Commission
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration
• National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
The National Institutes of Health also participates in
this group.
In the absence of conclusive information about any pos-
sible risk, what can concerned individuals do?
If there is a risk from these products – and at this point
we do not know that there is – it is probably very small.
But if people are concerned about avoiding even poten-
tial risks, there are simple steps they can take to do so.
For example, time is a key factor in how much exposure
a person receives. Those persons who spend long periods
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