Owner’s Manual

For Your Safety
107
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 long-term exposures, since the average period of
device use in these studies was around three years.
5. What research is needed to decide whether RF exposure from
tablets poses a health risk?
A combination of laboratory studies and epidemiological studies of people
actually using tablets would provide some of the data that are needed.
Lifetime animal exposure studies could be completed in a few years.
However, very large numbers of animals would be needed to provide
reliable proof of a cancer promoting effect if one exists. Epidemiological
studies can provide data that is directly applicable to human populations,
but ten 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 tablets. Many factors affect this
measurement, such as the angle at which the tablet is held, or which
model of tablet is used.