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3. What kinds of phones are the subject
of this update?
The term ‘wireless phone’ refers here to
handheld wireless phones with built-in
antennas, often called ‘cell’, ‘mobile’, or
‘PCS’ phones. These types of wireless
phones can expose the user to measurable
radiofrequency energy (RF) because of the
short distance between the phone and
the user’s head. These RF exposures are
limited by FCC safety guidelines that were
developed with the advice of the FDA and
other federal health and safety agencies.
When the phone is located at greater
distances from the user, the exposure to RF
is drastically lower because a person’s RF
exposure decreases rapidly 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 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.
Safety Guidelines