47
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 predisposed 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
longterm 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