FDA is currently working with government, industry, and academic groups to ensure the proper
Two other studies of interest have been reported recently in the literature:
1Two 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
2In 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
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