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.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. 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 statistically significant.
4.In summary, we do not have enough information at this point to assure the public that there are, or are not, any low incident health problems associated with use of mobile phones. FDA continues to work with all parties, including other federal agencies and industry, to assure that research is undertaken to provide the necessary answers to the outstanding questions about the safety of mobile phones.
What is known about cases of human cancer that have been reported in users of
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. population at a rate of about 6 new cases per 100,000 people each year. At that rate, assuming 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 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 people without brain cancer. This is called a
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 manufacturers 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 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 exposure 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 different 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.
In the absence of conclusive information about any possible risk, what can concerned individuals do?
If there is a risk from these products— and at this point we do not know that there is— it is probably very small. But if people are concerned about avoiding even potential risks, there are simple steps they can take to do so. For example, time is a key factor in how much exposure a person receives. Those persons who spend long periods of time on their
People who must conduct extended conversations in their cars
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