User's Manual

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December 2000. These studies investigated possible
associations between the use of wireless phones and
primary brain cancer (glioma, meningioma, acoustic
neuroma, other brain tumors, and salivary gland tumors),
leukemia, or other types of cancer. None of the studies
demonstrated the existence of any harmful health effects
from wireless phone RF exposures. However, none of
the studies can provide absolute findings about
long-term exposures since the average period of phone
use in these studies was approximately three years.
4. What kinds of phones are the subjects of this
update?
Here the term “wireless phone” refers 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 reduced due to a person's RF exposure
rapidly decreasing 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, thus producing RF
exposures far below the FCC safety limits.
5. What is the FDA doing to find out more about
the possible health effects of wireless phone
RF?