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Safety
to human populations, but 10 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 energy (RF). The FDA has been
a leading participant in the World Health
Organization International Electromagnetic
Fields (EMF) Project since its inception
in 1996. An influential result of this work
has been the development of a detailed
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