Use of Mobile Phones & Health Effects
September 2009

CTIA and the wireless industry are deeply committed to safety and to providing timely, accurate information to consumers about wireless phones. When learning the facts about cell phones and health-related effects, the industry relies on the conclusions of impartial groups such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Health, which have all concluded that the scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of wireless phones.

There has been significant research conducted on the issue of whether there is a link between wireless phone use and health effects. Much has been completed and more continues today. In 2000, CTIA and the FDA launched a research initiative, referred to as the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), to examine scientific questions about radiofrequency (RF) energy. The research plan outlined in the CRADA provides that the FDA, not industry, is responsible for the scientific and technical advice for all work in this area.

The CRADA research activities focused on (1) mechanistic studies related to genotoxicity, (2) epidemiologic studies and (3) a review of the science through a science symposium organized by the FDA. The results of this work concluded, “no association was found between exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation from cell phones and adverse health effects.” 1

The industry continues to support research on RF effects and wireless devices conducted and/or completed in the US and throughout the world. CTIA and the FDA used the CRADA to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a symposium in 2007 and issue a report on further research needs. In January 2008, the NAS published a report, “Identification of Research Needs Relating to Potential Biological or Adverse Health Effects of Wireless Communications,” which examined the status of research into potential effects of RF energy on human health. 2

In 2009, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) released a statement addressing the current scientific evidence concerning exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF), including frequencies used for modern wireless communications. It said the scientific literature published since the 1998 guidelines has “provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields.” 3

The INTERPHONE project is a collection of national studies designed to assess whether exposure to RF from mobile phones is associated with cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), coordinated the project, which studied more than 14,000 individuals from 13 participating countries starting in 2000. 4 Trained investigators conducted in-person, computer-assisted interviews for a control group and a group of individuals with a variety of tumors.

Research teams in the participating countries have published results from their studies. In a statement, ICNIRP said the “individual national and multinational results published thus far do not indicate an elevation of the risk of cancers in the head with cell phones within 10 years of first use.” 5 To create a more statistically robust analysis, the research teams have pooled data from their individual national studies. A final report based on this information is pending.

The number of studies examining the health effects of long-term exposure (more than ten years) to RF from mobile phones is limited. The International Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Users (COSMOS) will monitor 250,000 test subjects from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom for more than 25 years. 6 Information will be collected about mobile phone usage and potential health effects, including risk factors for tumors and neurological diseases.

Even as research continues worldwide, wireless devices must adhere to strict emissions guidelines in the US, which are developed under a thorough and rigorous review process. Of note:

• All wireless base station antennas and phones must meet the science-based, RF emission guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which established very conservative limits to ensure that the health of all citizens is protected.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that continuous human exposure to RF fields up to and including 100 percent of the FCC limit is considered safe.
• Several federal agencies have reviewed and endorsed the FCC's guidelines including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
• In 1999, the EPA concluded: “It (is) EPA’s view that the FCC exposure guidelines adequately protect the public from all scientifically established harms that may result from RF energy fields generated by FCC Licensees.”
  

Footnotes:

1FDA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

2National Academy of Sciences, Report Identifies Research to Bolster Knowledge of Any Potential Health 
  Effects of Wireless Communication Devices

3ICNIRP, 2009 Statement on the “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and
  Electromagnetic Fields (Up to 300 GHz)”   

4Status of the INTERPHONE Study

5ICNIRP, 2009 Statement on the “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and
  Electromagnetic Fields (Up to 300 GHz)”     

6COSMOS Study