2000. Between them , t he st udies invest igated any possible associat ion
between the use of wireless phones and prim ary brain cancer, gliom a,
m eningiom a, or acoust ic neurom a, tum ors of the br ain or salivary gland,
leukem ia, or ot her cancers. None of the st udies dem onst rat ed the
existence of any harm ful healt h effect s from wireless phones RF
exposures. However, none of t he st udies can answer quest ions about
long- term exposures, since the average period of phone use in these
studies was around three years.
W hat r esea rch is nee de d t o de cide w he t her RF ex posur e fr om
w ire le ss phone s poses a healt h r isk ?
A com binat ion of laborat ory st udies and epidem iological st udies of people
act ually using wireless phones would provide som e of t he dat a that are
needed. Lifet im e anim al exposure st udies could be com plet ed in a few
years. However, very large num bers of anim als would be needed t o
provide reliable proof of a cancer prom oting effect if one exists.
Epidem iological st udies can provide dat a t hat is direct ly applicable t o
hum an populat ions, but t en or m ore years' follow-up m ay be needed t o
provide answers about som e health effect s, such as cancer. This is
because the interval between the tim e of exposure to a cancer-causing
agent and t he t im e tum ors develop - if t hey do - m ay be m any, m any
years. The int erpretat ion of epidem iological st udies is ham pered by
difficult ies in m easuring act ual RF exposure during day- t o- day use of
wireless phones. Many factors affect t his m easurem ent , such as t he angle
at which the phone is held, or which m odel of phone is used.
W ha t is FDA doing to find out m or e a bout t he possible healt h
effe ct s of w ir eless phone RF?
FDA is working w it h t he U.S. Nat ional Toxicology Program and wit h
gr oups of invest igat ors around t he world to ensure t hat high priorit y
anim al st udies are conduct ed t o address im portant quest ions about t he
effects of exposure to radio frequency energy (RF) .
FDA has been a leading part icipant in t he World Healt h Or ganizat ion
int ernat ional Electrom agnet ic Fields ( EMF) Proj ect since it s incept ion in
1996. An influential result of t his work has been the developm ent of a
detailed agenda of r esearch needs that has driven the establishm ent of
new research program s around t he world. The Proj ect has also helped
develop a series of public inform at ion docum ents on EMF issues.
FDA and Cellular Telecom m unicat ions & I nt ernet Association (CTI A) have
a form al Cooperat ive Research and Developm ent Agreem ent (CRADA) t o
do research on wireless phone safet y. FDA provides t he scientific
oversight , obt aining input from expert s in governm ent , indust ry, and
academ ic organizat ions. CTI A- funded research is conducted through
cont racts t o independent investigators. The init ial research will include
both laborat ory st udies and studies of wireless phone users. The CRADA
will also include a broad assessm ent of additional research needs in t he
cont ext of t he lat est research developm ent s around t he world.
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