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Safety Guidelines
132
4. What are the results of the research
done already?
The research done thus far has produced
conflicting results, and many studies have
suffered from flaws in their research
methods. Animal experiments investigating
the effects of radiofrequency energy
(RF) exposures characteristic of wireless
phones have yielded conflicting results
that often cannot be repeated in other
laboratories. A few animal studies,
however, have suggested that low levels
of RF could accelerate the development
of cancer in laboratory animals. However,
many of the studies that showed increased
tumor development used animals that had
been genetically engineered or treated
with cancer causing chemicals so as to
be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the
absence of RF exposure. Other studies
exposed the animals to RF for up to 22
hours per day. These conditions are not
similar to the conditions under which
people use wireless phones, so we don’t
know with certainty what the results of
such studies mean for human health.
Three large epidemiology studies have
been published since December 2000.
Between them, the studies investigated
any possible association between the
use of wireless phones and primary brain
cancer, glioma, meningioma, or acoustic
neuroma, tumors of the brain or salivary
gland, leukemia, or other cancers. None of
the studies demonstrated the existence of
any harmful health effects from wireless
phone RF exposures. However, none of the
studies can answer questions about long-
term exposures, since the average period
of phone use in these studies was around
three years.
5. What research is needed to decide
whether RF exposure from wireless
phones poses a health risk?
A combination of laboratory studies
and epidemiological studies of people
actually using wireless phones would
provide some of the data that are needed.
Lifetime animal exposure studies could
be completed in a few years. However,
very large numbers of animals would
be needed to provide reliable proof of
a cancer promoting effect if one exists.
Epidemiological studies can provide
data that is directly applicable to human