Quick start guide

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•Environmental Protection Agency
•Occupational Safety and Health Administration
•National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some interagency working group activities, as well.
The FDA shares regulatory responsibilities for wireless phones with the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). All phones that are sold in the United States must comply with FCC safety guidelines that limit RF exposure.
The FCC relies on the FDA and other health agencies for safety questions about wireless phones.
The FCC also regulates the base stations that the wireless phone networks rely upon. While these base stations
operate at higher power than do the wireless phones themselves, the RF exposures that people get from these
base stations are typically thousands of times lower than those they can get from wireless phones. Base stations
are thus not the subject of the safety questions discussed in this document.
3. What kinds of phones are the subject of this update?
The term “wireless phone” refers here to handheld wireless phones with built-in antennas, often called “cell”,
“mobile”, or “PCS” phones. These types of wireless phones can expose the user to measurable Radio Frequency
(RF) energy because of the short distance between the phone and the user’s head.
These RF exposures are limited by FCC safety guidelines that were developed with the advice of the FDA and
other federal health and safety agencies. When the phone is located at greater distances from the user, the
exposure to RF is drastically lower because a person’s RF exposure decreases rapidly with increasing distance
from the source. The so-called “cordless phones,” which have a base unit connected to the telephone wiring in a
house, typically operate at far lower power levels, and thus produce RF exposures far below the FCC safety limits.
4. What are the results of the research done already?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting results, and many studies have suffered from flaws
in their research methods. Animal experiments investigating the effects of Radio Frequency (RF) energy
exposures characteristic of wireless phones have yielded conflicting results that often cannot be repeated in
other laboratories. A few animal studies, however, have suggested that low levels of RF could accelerate the
development of cancer in laboratory animals. However, many of the studies that showed increased tumor
development used animals that had been genetically engineered or treated with cancer-causing chemicals so as
to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the absence of RF exposure. Other studies exposed the animals to RF
for up to 22 hours per day. These conditions are not similar to the conditions under which people use wireless
phones, so we do not know with certainty what the results of such studies mean for human health. Three large
epidemiology studies have been published since December 2000. Between them, the studies investigated
any possible association between the use of wireless phones and primary brain cancer, glioma, meningioma,
or acoustic neuroma, tumors of the brain or salivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers. None of the studies
demonstrated the existence of any harmful health effects from wireless phone RF exposures. However, none of the
studies can answer questions about long-term exposures, since the average period of phone use in these studies
was around three years.
5. What research is needed to decide whether RF exposure from wireless phones poses a health risk?
A combination of laboratory studies and epidemiological studies of people actually using wireless phones would
provide some of the data that are needed. Lifetime animal exposure studies could be completed in a few years.
However, very large numbers of animals would be needed to provide reliable proof of a cancer promoting effect
if one exists. Epidemiological studies can provide data that is directly applicable to human populations, but ten
or more years follow-up may be needed to provide answers about some health effects, such as cancer. This is
because the interval between the time of exposure to a cancer-causing agent and the time tumors develop — if
they do — may be many, many years. The interpretation of epidemiological studies is hampered by difficulties in
measuring actual RF exposure during day-to-day use of wireless phones. Many factors affect this measurement,
such as the angle at which the phone is held, or which model of phone is used.
6. What is the FDA doing to find out more about the possible health effects of wireless phone RF?
The FDA is working with the U.S. National Toxicology Program and with groups of investigators around the world
to ensure that high priority animal studies are conducted to address important questions about the effects of
exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) energy.
The FDA has been a leading participant in the World Health Organization International Electro Magnetic Fields
(EMF) Project since its inception in 1996. An influential result of this work has been the development of a detailed
agenda of research needs that has driven the establishment of new research programs around the world. The
project has also helped develop a series of public information documents on EMF issues.
The FDA and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) have a formal Cooperative Research
And Development Agreement (CRADA) to do research on wireless phone safety. The FDA provides the scientific
oversight, obtaining input from experts in government, industry, and academic organizations. CTIA-funded
research is conducted through contracts with independent investigators. The initial research will include both