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Section 4: Safety Guidelines and Warranty Information
4A: Safety 122
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.
20. 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 populations,
but 10 or more years’ follow-up may be needed to provide
answers about some health effects, such as cancer. This is
because the interval between the time of exposure to a cancer-
causing agent and the time tumors develop - if they do - may be
many, many years. The interpretation of epidemiological studies
is hampered by difficulties in measuring actual RF exposure
during day-to-day use of wireless phones. Many factors affect
this measurement, such as the angle at which the phone is held,
or which model of phone is used.
21. What is FDA doing to find out more about the possible health
effects of wireless phone RF?
FDA is working with the U.S. National Toxicology Program and
with groups of investigators around the world to ensure that
high priority animal studies are conducted to address important
questions about the effects of exposure to radiofrequency
energy (RF).