LMG710AWM User Manual

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Safety Guidelines 171

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 radiofrequency energy (RF) exposures characteristic of wireless

phones 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 predisposed 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 phones, so we don’t 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

phones 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 phone RF

exposures.

However,noneofthestudiescananswerquestionsaboutlong-termexposures,

since the average period of phone use in these studies was around three years.

5. What research is needed to decide whether RF exposure

from wireless phones poses a health risk?

A combination of laboratory studies and epidemiological studies of people

actually using wireless phones 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10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wirelessphones.Manyfactorsaffect

this measurement, such as the angle at which the phone is held, or which model of

phone is used.

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User Manual - Page 172