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investigating the effects of radiofrequency energy (RF)
exposures characteristic of wireless phones have
yielded conflicting results that often cannot be repeated
in other laboratories. A few animal studies, however,
have suggested that low levels of RF could accelerate
the development of cancer in laboratory animals.
H o w e v e r, many of the studies that showed increased
tumor development used animals that had been
genetically engineered or treated with cancer-causing
chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in
the absence of RF exposure. Other studies exposed the
animals to RF for up to 22 hours per day. T h e s e
conditions are not similar to the conditions under which
people use wireless phones, so we do not 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.
H o w e v e r, 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.
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