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with increasing distance from the source. The so-
called “cordless phones,” which have a base unit
connected to the telephone wiring in a house,
typically operate at far lower power levels, and thus
produce RF exposures far below the FCC safety
limits.
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 Radio Frequency (RF)
energy 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 do not 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
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