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Section 12: Health and Safety Information 183
Consumer Information on Wireless Phones
Section 12
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 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. 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 radio frequency energy (RF).
FDA has been a leading participant in the World Health
Organization international Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
Project since its inception in 1996. An influential result of