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of about 1 million per month), about 4800 cases of brain
cancer would be expected each year among those 80 mil-
lion people, whether or not they used their phones. Thus it
is not possible to tell whether any individual's cancer arose
because of the phone, or whether it would have happened
anyway. A key question is whether the risk of getting a par-
ticular form of cancer is greater among people who use
mobile phones than among the rest of the population. One
way to answer that question is to compare the usage of
mobile phones among people with brain cancer with the
use of mobile phones among appropriately matched peo-
ple without brain cancer. This is called a case-control study.
The current case-control study of brain cancers by the
National Cancer Institute, as well as the follow-up research
to be sponsored by industry, will begin to generate this type
of information.
What is FDA's role concerning the safety of mobile
phones?
Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radiation-
emitting consumer products such as mobile phones before
marketing, as it does with new drugs or medical devices.
However, the agency has authority to take action if mobile
phones are shown to emit radiation at a level that is hazard-
ous to the user. In such a case, FDA could require the manu-
facturers of mobile phones to notify users of the health
hazard and to repair, replace or recall the phones so that the
hazard no longer exists.
Although the existing scientific data do not justify FDA reg-
ulatory 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.
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