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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
• 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 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 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
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