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tumor of the nerve sheath). No statistically significant
association was found between mobile phone use and
acoustic neuroma. There was also no association between
mobile phone use and gliomas when all types of types of
gliomas were considered together. It should be noted that
the average length of mobile phone exposure in this study
was less than three years.
When 20 types of glioma were considered separately,
however, an association was found between mobile phone
use and one rare type of glioma, neuroepithelliomatous
tumors. It is possible with multiple comparisons of the same
sample that this association occurred by chance. Moreover,
the risk did not increase with how often the mobile phone
was used, or the length of the calls. In fact, the risk actually
decreased with cumulative hours of mobile phone use. Most
cancer causing agents increase risk with increased exposure.
An ongoing study of brain cancers by the National Cancer
Institute is expected to bear on the accuracy and repeatability
1
of these results.
b Researchers conducted a large battery of laboratory tests to
assess the effects of exposure to mobile phone RF on genetic
material. These included tests for several kinds of
abnormalities, including mutations, chromosomal
aberrations, DNA strand breaks, and structural changes in the
genetic material of blood cells called lymphocytes. None of
the tests showed any effect of the RF except for the
micronucleus assay, which detects structural effects on the
genetic material. The cells in this assay showed changes after
exposure to simulated cell phone radiation, but only after 24
hours of exposure. It is possible that exposing the test cells to
radiation for this long resulted in heating. Since this assay is
known to be sensitive to heating, heat alone could have
caused the abnormalities to occur. The data already in the
literature on the response of the micronucleus assay to RF are
2
conflicting. Thus, follow-up research is necessary.
FDA is currently working with government, industry, and
academic groups to ensure the proper follow-up to these
industry-funded research findings. Collaboration with the
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) in
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