SENDO SND251 Manual page 48

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In a study of 209 brain tumor cases and 425
matched controls, there was no increased risk of
brain tumors associated with mobile phone use.
When tumors did exist in certain locations,
however, they were more likely to be on the side
of the head where the mobile phone was used.
Because this occurred in only a small number of
cases, the increased likelihood was too small to
be statistically significant
In summary, we do not have enough information at
this point to assure the public that there are, or are
not, any low incident health problems associated
with use of mobile phones. FDA continues to work
with all parties, including other federal agencies
and industry, to assure that research is undertaken
to provide the necessary answers to the
outstanding questions about the safety of mobile
phones.
What is known about cases of human cancer that
have been reported in users of hand-held mobile
phones?
Some people who have used mobile phones have
been diagnosed with brain cancer. But it is
important to understand that this type of cancer
also occurs among people who have not used
mobile phones. In fact, brain cancer occurs in the
U.S. population at a rate of about 6 new cases per
100,000 people 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 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
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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 cancer. This is called a case-control
study. The current case-control study of brain
cancers by the National Cancer Institute, as well as
the follow-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-emitting consumer products such as
mobile phones before marketing, as it does with
new drugs or medical devices. However, the
agency has authority 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
number of steps to assure public safety. The
agency has recommended that the industry:
support needed research into possible biological
effects of RF of the type emitted by mobile phones;
Design mobile phones in a way that minimizes any
RF exposure to the user that is not necessary for
device function; and
cooperate in providing mobile phone users with the
best possible information on what is known about
possible effects of mobile phone use on human
health.
At the same time, FDA belongs to an interagency
working group of the federal agencies that have
responsibility for different aspects of mobile phone