Siemens A70 User Manual page 24

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of A70 Dorado, 140mm, us-en A31008-H2770-A1-4-7619 (05.10.2005, 12:27)
• In a study of 209 brain tumor cases and
425 matched controls, there was no in-
creased 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 statisti-
cally significant.
In summary, we do not have enough in-
formation at this point to assure the pub-
lic that there are, or are not, any low inci-
dent health problems associated with use
of mobile phones. FDA continues to work
with all parties, including other federal
agencies and industry, to assure that re-
search is undertaken to provide the nec-
essary answers to the outstanding ques-
tions 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. pop-
ulation at a rate of about 6 new cases per
100,000 people each year. At that rate, as-
suming 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 individu-
al's cancer arose because of the phone, or
whether it would have happened anyway.
A key question is whether the risk of get-
ting 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 appropriate-
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U.S. FDA
ly matched people without brain cancer.
This is called a case-control study. The cur-
rent 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 manufactur-
ers 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 in-
dustry to take a number of steps to assure
public safety. The agency has recom-
mended that the industry:
• Support needed research into possible
biological effects of RF of the type emit-
ted by mobile phones;
• Design mobile phones in a way that
minimizes any RF exposure to the user
that is not necessary for device func-
tion; and
• Cooperate in providing mobile phone
users with the best possible informa-
tion on what is known about possible
effects of mobile phone use on human
health.
At the same time, FDA belongs to an in-
teragency working group of the federal
agencies that have responsibility for dif-
ferent aspects of mobile phone safety to
ensure a coordinated effort at the federal
level. These agencies are:
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