Samsung SGH-E356 User Manual

Health and safety information43had been genetically engineered or treated with cancercausing chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to developcancer in the absence of RF exposure. Other studiesexposed the animals to RF for up to 22 hours per day.These conditions are not similar to the conditions underwhich people use wireless phones, so we don t know withcertainty what the results of such studies mean for humanhealth.Three large epidemiology studies have been publishedsince December 2000. Between them, the studiesinvestigated any possible association between the use ofwireless phones and primary brain cancer, gioma,meningioma, or acoustic neuroma, tumors of the brain orsalivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers. None of thestudies demonstrated the existence of any harmful healtheffects from wireless phone RF exposures. However, noneof the studies can answer questions about long-termexposures, since the average period of phone use in thesestudies was around three years.What research is needed to decide whether RF exposurefrom wireless phones poses a health risk?A combination of laboratory studies and epidemiologicalstudies of people actually using wireless phones wouldprovide some of the data that are needed. Lifetime animalexposure studies could be completed in a few years.However, very large numbers of animals would be neededto provide reliable proof of a cancer promoting effect ifone exists. Epidemiological studies can provide data thatis directly applicable to human populations, but 10 ormore years follow-up may be needed to provide answersabout some health effects, such as cancer. This is becausethe 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 ofepidemiological studies is hampered by difficulties inmeasuring actual RF exposure during day-to-day use ofwireless phones. Many factors affect this measurement,such as the angle at which the phone is held, or whichmodel of phone is used.Which other federal agencies have responsibilities relatedto potential RF health effects?