Instruction Manual

120
For Your Safety
3.Whatkindsofdevicesarethesubjectofthisupdate?
Theterm“wirelessdevice”refersheretohandheldwirelessdeviceswithbuilt-inantennas,
oftencalled“cell”,“mobile”,or“PCS”devices.Thesetypesofwirelessdevicescanexpose
theusertomeasurableRadioFrequency(RF)energybecauseoftheshortdistancebetween
thedeviceandtheuser’shead.
TheseRFexposuresarelimitedbyFCCsafetyguidelinesthatweredevelopedwiththe
adviceoftheFDAandotherfederalhealthandsafetyagencies.Whenthedeviceislocated
atgreaterdistancesfromtheuser,theexposuretoRFisdrasticallylowerbecauseaperson’s
RFexposuredecreasesrapidlywithincreasingdistancefromthesource.
4.Whataretheresultsoftheresearchdonealready?
Theresearchdonethusfarhasproducedconflictingresults,andmanystudieshavesuffered
fromflawsintheirresearchmethods.AnimalexperimentsinvestigatingtheeffectsofRadio
Frequency(RF)energyexposurescharacteristicofwirelessdeviceshaveyieldedconflicting
resultsthatoftencannotberepeatedinotherlaboratories.Afewanimalstudies,however,
havesuggestedthatlowlevelsofRFcouldacceleratethedevelopmentofcancerin
laboratoryanimals.However,manyofthestudiesthatshowedincreasedtumordevelopment
usedanimalsthathadbeengeneticallyengineeredortreatedwithcancer-causingchemicals
soastobepre-disposedtodevelopcancerintheabsenceofRFexposure.Otherstudies
exposedtheanimalstoRFforupto22hoursperday.Theseconditionsarenotsimilarto
theconditionsunderwhichpeopleusewirelessdevices,sowedonotknowwithcertainty
whattheresultsofsuchstudiesmeanforhumanhealth.Threelargeepidemiologystudies
havebeenpublishedsinceDecember2000.Betweenthem,thestudiesinvestigatedany
possibleassociationbetweentheuseofwirelessdevicesandprimarybraincancer,glioma,
meningioma,oracousticneuroma,tumorsofthebrainorsalivarygland,leukemia,orother
cancers.Noneofthestudiesdemonstratedtheexistenceofanyharmfulhealtheffectsfrom
wirelessdeviceRFexposures.However,noneofthestudiescananswerquestionsabout