FDA Gives Cell Phones the All-Clear Signal... For Now

Federal health officials have dismissed a recent study suggesting a link between brain tumors and the long-term use of cellular and cordless phones, according to the Washington Post.

While U.S. officials deny that there is a conclusive link between devices such as these and the development of brain tumors, they will continue to be on high alert and monitor the safety of the wireless devices. The findings are the result of two combined studies published in 2003 and 2005, in which researchers apparently discovered heightened risk of malignant brain tumors associated with use of the wireless phones over a decade or more. The study was conducted on populations in Sweden.

The Food and Drug Administration said that the findings were inconsistent with conclusions derived from other studies. The FDA also pointed out the presence of several shortcomings, which included the design of the study. Conducting the surveys through mail distribution, and showing a total lack of supporting data from 
laboratory animals, makes a definitive conclusion difficult to reach, the FDA said.

As a rule, scientists do not consider retrospective questionnaires to be a highly accurate method of determining links between behavior and disease. The FDA added, however, that it will continue monitoring studies examining exposure to radio frequency energy and its impact on human health. In the near future, it also plans a meeting to evaluate research on the issue and identify gaps that deserve further study.

In the past, both the FDA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)have said that phones pose no known cancer risk, and if there is any risk, it is extremely small. An industry representative commented 
that the vast majority of scientists who have conducted studies on their products have  concluded that wireless phones are safe. Other experts have said driving while using cell phones -- which some states in the Northeast are making illegal -- is more dangerous than any threat of cancer.