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Further information
FDA Update on mobile phone safety
Most cancer causing agents
ing the test cells to radiation for
increase
risk with increased expo-
this long resulted in heating.
sure. An ongoing study of brain
Since this assay is known to be
cancers by the National Cancer
sensitive to heating, heat alone
Institute is expected to bear on the
could have caused the abnormali-
accuracy and repeatability of these
ties to occur. The data already in
results. 1)
the literature on the response of
the micronucleus assay to RF are
• Researchers conducted a large
conflicting. Thus follow-up research
battery of laboratory tests to
is necessary. 2)
assess the effects of exposure to
mobile phone RF on genetic mate-
FDA is currently working with
rial. These included tests for sever-
government, industry, and academ-
al kinds of abnormalities, including
ic groups to ensure the proper fol-
mutations, chromosomal aberra-
low-up to these industry-funded
tions, DNA strand breaks, and
research findings.
structural changes in the genetic
Collaboration with the Cellular
material of blood cells called lym-
Telecommunications Industry
phocytes.
Association (CTIA) in particular is
None of the tests showed any
expected to lead to FDA providing
effect of the RF except for the
research recommendations and sci-
micronucleous assay, which
entific oversight of new CTIA-fund-
detects structural effects on the
ed research based on such recom-
genetic material. The cells in this
mendations.
assay showed changes after expo-
Two other studies of interest
sure to simulated cell phone radia-
have been reported recently in the
tion, but only after 24 hours of
literature:
exposure. It is possible that expos-
• Two groups of 18 people were
In summary, we do not have
exposed to simulated mobile
enough information at this point to
phone signals under laboratory con-
assure the public that there are, or
ditions while they performed cogni-
are not, any low incident health
tive function tests. There were no
problems associated with use of
changes in the subjects' ability to
mobile phones.
recall words, numbers, or pictures,
or in their spatial memory, but they
parties, including other federal
were able to make choices more
agencies and industry, to assure
quickly in one visual test when
that research is undertaken to pro-
they were exposed to simulated
vide the necessary answers to the
mobile phone signals. This was the
outstanding questions about the
only change noted among more
safety of mobile phones.
than 20 variables compared. 3)
What is known about cases of
• In a study of 209 brain tumor
human cancer that have been
cases and 425 matched controls,
reported in users of hand-held
there was no increased risk of
mobile phones?
brain tumors associated with
Some people who have used
mobile phone use. When tumors
mobile phones have been diag-
did exist in certain locations, how-
nosed with brain cancer. But it is
ever, they were more likely to be
important to understand that this
on the side of the head where the
type of cancer also occurs among
mobile phone was used. Because
people who have not used mobile
this occurred in only a small num-
phones.
ber of cases, the increased likeli-
hood was too small to be statisti-
U.S. population at a rate of about 6
new cases per 100,000 people
cally significant. 4)
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
FDA continues to work with all
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 can-
cer. This is called a case-control
study.
In fact, brain cancer occurs in the
The current case-control study of
brain cancers by the National
Cancer Institute, as well as the fol-
89
low-up research to be sponsored
by industry, will 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-emit-
ting consumer products such as
mobile phones before marketing,
as it does with new drugs or med-
ical devices.
However, the agency has authori-
ty 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
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