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begin to generate 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 radiation-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 working 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 possible 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 potential 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 of time on their hand-held mobile phones could
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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
compared.
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, however,
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 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
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