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Usage guidelines: All about performance and safety 147
questions about long-term exposures, since average period
of phone use in these studies was around three years.
What research is needed to decide whether RF
exposure from wireless phones poses a health
threat?
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 ten 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.
What is FDA doing to find out more about the
possible health effects of wireless phone RF?
FDA is working with the U.S. 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 radio frequency
energy (RF).
FDA has been a leading participant in the World Health
Organization International Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)