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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 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 peo- ple 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 spon- sored 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 regula- tory 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 expo- sure 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 differ- ent aspects of mobile phone safety to ensure a coordinated effort at the federal level. These agencies are:

•National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

•Environmental Protection Agency

•Federal Communications Commission

•Occupational Health and Safety Administration

•National Telecommunications and Information Administration

The National Institutes of Health also participates in this group.