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regulatory actions at this time, FDA has urged the
mobile phone industry to take a number of steps to
assure public safety. The agency has recommended
that the industry:
support needed research into possible biological
effects of RF of the type emitted by mobile
phones;
Design mobile phones in a way that minimizes
any RF exposure to the user that is not necessary
for device function; and
cooperate in providing mobile phone users with
the best possible information on what is known
about possible effects of mobile phone use on
human health.
At the same time, FDA belongs to an interagency
working group of the federal agencies that have
responsibility for different aspects of mobile phone
safety to ensure a coordinated effort at the federal
level. These agencies are:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Communications Commission
Occupational Health and Safety Administration
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
The National Institute of Health also participates in
this group.
In the absence of conclusive information about any
possible risk, what can concerned individuals do?
If there is a risk from these products—and at this
point we do not know that there is—it is probably
very small. But if people are concerned about
avoiding even potential risks, there are simple steps
they can take to do so. For example, time is a key
factor in how much exposure a person receives.
Those persons who spend long periods of time on
their hand-held mobile phones could consider
holding lengthy conversations on conventional
phones and reserving the hand-held models for
shorter conversations or for situations when other
types of phones are not available.
People who must conduct extended conversations in
their cars every day could switch to a type of mobile
phone that places more distance between their
bodies and the source of the RF, since the exposure
level drops off dramatically with distance. For
example, they could switch to
a mobile phone in which the antenna is located
outside the vehicle,
a hand-held phone with a built in antenna
connected to a different antenna mounted on the
outside of the car or built into a separate package
or
a headset with a remote antenna to a mobile
phone carried at the waist.
Again, the scientific data do not demonstrate that
mobile phones are harmful. But if people are
concerned about the radiofrequency energy from
these products, taking the simple precautions
outlined above can reduce any possible risk.
Where can I find additional information?
For additional information, see the following
websites:
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF
Safety Program (select "Information on Human
Exposure to RF Fields from Cellular and PCS Radio
Transmitters"): http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety
World Health Organization (WHO) International
Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
(select Qs & As): http://www.who.int/emf
United Kingdom, National Radiological Protection
Board: http://www.nrpb.org.uk
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
(CTIA): http://www.wow-com.com
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for
Devices and Radiological Health:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/
1 Muscat et al. Epidemiological Study of Cellular
Telephone Use and Malignant Brain Tumors. In:
State of the Science Symposium;1999 June 20; Long
Beach, California.
2 Tice et al. Tests of mobile phone signals for activity
in genotoxicity and other laboratory assays. In:
Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen
Society; March 29, 1999, Washington, D.C.; and
personal communication, unpublished results.
3 Preece, AW, Iwi, G, Davies-Smith, A, Wesnes, K,
Butler, S, Lim, E, and Varey, A. Effect of a 915-MHz
simulated mobile phone signal on cognitive function
in man. Int. J. Radiat. Biol., April 8, 1999.
4 Hardell, L, Nasman, A, Pahlson, A, Hallquist, A
and Mild, KH. Use of cellular telephones and the risk
for brain tumors: a case-control study. Int. J. Oncol.,
15: 113-116, 1999.
