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FDA to review
wireless phone safety
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration said today that it will review wireless phone
safety after a recently published study that raised concerns
about a heightened risk of brain cancer. Swedish researchers
said last month the use of cellular phones over a long period
of time can raise the risk of brain tumors . Their findings
contradict a number of earlier studies and are "difficult to
interpret," the FDA said in comments posted on its Web site.
Still, the agency said it "plans to convene a meeting
in the near future to evaluate research conducted to date in
this area and identify gaps in knowledge that warrant
additional research." It will also continue to monitor studies
for possible health problems stemming from exposure to radio
frequency energy. The researchers at the Swedish National
Institute for Working Life compared data from 2,200 cancer
patients and an equal number of healthy patients. Those who
heavily used wireless phones had a 240% increased risk of a
cancerous tumor on the side of the head where they used their
phone, they reported. The results, published in the
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental
Health, defined heavy use of wireless phones as 2,000 or more
hours, or about one hour per day for 10 years.
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