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 hand-held mobile phones?
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 mil-
lion 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 hap-
pened anyway. A key question is whether the risk of getting a particu-
lar form of cancer is greater among people who use mobile phones
than among the rest of the population. One way to answer that ques-
tion 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 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 sponsored 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 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.
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