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6. What is the FDA doing to find out more about the possible

health effects of wireless phone RF?

The FDA is working with the U.S. National Toxicology Program and with

groups of investigators around the world to ensure that high priority animal

studies are conducted to address important questions about the effects of

exposure to Radio Frequency energy (RF).

The FDA has been a leading participant in the World Health Organization

International Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) Project since its inception in 1996.

An influential result of this work has been the development of a detailed

agenda of research needs that has driven the establishment of new research

programs around the world. The project has also helped develop a series of

public information documents on EMF issues.

The FDA and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA)

have a formal Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

to do research on wireless phone safety. The FDA provides the scientific

oversight, obtaining input from experts in government, industry, and

academic organizations. CTIA-funded research is conducted through

contracts with independent investigators. The initial research will include

both laboratory studies and studies of wireless phone users. The CRADA will

also include a broad assessment of additional research needs in the context

of the latest research developments around the world.

7. How can I find out how much Radio Frequency energy exposure

I can get by using my wireless phone?

All phones sold in the United States must comply with Federal

Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines that limit Radio Frequency

energy (RF) exposures. The FCC established these guidelines in consultation

with the FDA and the other federal health and safety agencies. The FCC limit

for RF exposure from wireless telephones is set at a Specific Absorption

Rate (SAR) of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg). The FCC limit is consistent

with the safety standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and

Electronic Engineering (IEEE) and the National Council on Radiation

Protection and Measurement. The exposure limit takes into consideration

the body’s ability to remove heat from the tissues that absorb energy from

the wireless phone and is set well below levels known to have effects.

Manufacturers of wireless phones must report the RF exposure level for

each model of phone to the FCC. The FCC website (http://www.fcc.gov/oet/

rfsafety) gives directions for locating the FCC identification number on your

phone so you can find your phone’s RF exposure level in the online listing.

Safety

4. What are the results of the research done already?

The research done thus far has produced conflicting results, and many studies

have suffered from flaws in their research methods. Animal experiments

investigating the effects of radiofrequency energy (RF) exposures characteristic

of wireless phones have yielded conflicting results that often cannot be repeated

in other laboratories. A few animal studies, however, have suggested that low

levels of RF could accelerate the development of cancer in laboratory animals.

However, many of the studies that showed increased tumor development used

animals that had been genetically engineered or treated with cancer-causing

chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the absence of RF

exposure. Other studies exposed the animals to RF for up to 22 hours per day.

These conditions are not similar to the conditions under which people use

wireless phones, so we don’t know with certainty what the results of such studies

mean for human health.Three large epidemiology studies have been published

since December 2000. Between them, the studies investigated any possible

association between the use of wireless phones and primary brain cancer,

glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma, tumors of the brain or salivary

gland, leukemia, or other cancers. None of the studies demonstrated the

existence of any harmful health effects from wireless phone RF exposures.

However, none of the studies can answer questions about long-term exposures,

since the average period of phone use in these studies was around three years.

5. What research is needed to decide whether RF exposure from

wireless phones poses a health risk?

A combination of laboratory studies and epidemiological studies of people

actually using wireless phones would provide some of the data that are needed.

Lifetime animal exposure studies could be completed in a few years. However,

very large numbers of animals would be needed to provide reliable proof of a

cancer promoting effect if one exists. Epidemiological studies can provide data

that is directly applicable to human populations, but 10 or more years follow-up

may be needed to provide answers about some health effects, such as cancer.

This is because the interval between the time of exposure to a cancer-causing

agent and the time tumors develop — if they do — may be many, many years.

The interpretation of epidemiological studies is hampered by difficulties in

measuring actual RF exposure during day-to-day use of wireless phones. Many

factors affect this measurement, such as the angle at which the phone is held,

or which model of phone is used.

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