Motorola 4500 Manual page 37

Reference
For the past five years in the United States, the
mobile phone industry has supported research into
the safety of mobile phones. This research has
resulted in two findings in particular that merit
additional study:
1. In a hospital-based, case-control study,
researchers looked for an association between
mobile phone use and either glioma (a type of
brain cancer) or acoustic neuroma (a benign 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 of these
results.
1
2. 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
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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 conflicting. Thus, follow-up
research is necessary.
2
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 particular is expected
to lead to FDA providing research recommendations
and scientific oversight of new CTIA-funded research
based on such recommendations.
Two other studies of interest have been reported
recently in the literature:
1. Two groups of 18 people were exposed to
simulated mobile phone signals under laboratory
conditions while they performed cognitive function
tests. There were no changes in the subjects'
ability to recall words, numbers, or pictures, or in
their spatial memory, but they were able to make
choices more quickly in one visual test when they
were exposed to simulated mobile phone signals.
This was the only change noted among more than
20 variables compared.
3
2. 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.
Reference
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