BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co. OHG A70 Manuel D’Utilisation

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• In a study of 209 brain tumor cases and 

425 matched controls, there was no in-

creased risk of brain tumors associated 

with mobile phone use. When tumors 

did exist in certain locations, however, 

they were more likely to be on the side 

of the head where the mobile phone 

was used. Because this occurred in only 

a small number of cases, the increased 

likelihood was too small to be statisti-

cally significant.

4

In summary, we do not have enough in-

formation at this point to assure the pub-

lic that there are, or are not, any low inci-

dent health problems associated with use 

of mobile phones. FDA continues to work 

with all parties, including other federal 

agencies and industry, to assure that re-

search is undertaken to provide the nec-

essary answers to the outstanding ques-

tions about the safety of mobile phones.
What is known about cases of human cancer 

Some people who have used mobile 

phones have been diagnosed with brain 

cancer. But it is important to understand 

that this type of cancer also occurs among 

people who have not used mobile phones. 

In fact, brain cancer occurs in the U.S. pop-

ulation at a rate of about 6 new cases per 

100,000 people each year. At that rate, as-

suming 80 million users of mobile phones 

(a number increasing at a rate of about 1 

million per month), about 4800 cases of 

brain cancer would be expected each year 

among those 80 million people, whether 

or not they used their phones. Thus it is 

not possible to tell whether any individu-

al's cancer arose because of the phone, or 

whether it would have happened anyway. 

A key question is whether the risk of get-

ting a particular form of cancer is greater 

among people who use mobile phones 

than among the rest of the population. 

One way to answer that question is to 

compare the usage of mobile phones 

among people with brain cancer with the 

use of mobile phones among appropriate-

ly matched people without brain cancer. 

This is called a case-control study. The cur-

rent case-control study of brain cancers by 

the National Cancer Institute, as well as 

the follow-up research to be sponsored by 

industry, will begin to generate this type of 

information.
What is FDA's role concerning the safety of 

Under the law, FDA does not review the 

safety of radiation emitting consumer 

products such as mobile phones before 

marketing, as it does with new drugs or 

medical devices. However, the agency 

has authority to take action if mobile 

phones are shown to emit radiation at a 

level that is hazardous to the user. In such 

a case, FDA could require the manufactur-

ers of mobile phones to notify users of 

the health hazard and to repair, replace or 

recall the phones so that the hazard no 

longer exists. 

Although the existing scientific data do 

not justify FDA regulatory actions at this 

time, FDA has urged the mobile phone in-

dustry to take a number of steps to assure 

public safety. The agency has recom-

mended that the industry:
• Support needed research into possible 

biological effects of RF of the type emit-

ted by mobile phones;

• Design mobile phones in a way that 

minimizes any RF exposure to the user 

that is not necessary for device func-

tion; and

• Cooperate in providing mobile phone 

users with the best possible informa-

tion on what is known about possible 

effects of mobile phone use on human 

health.

At the same time, FDA belongs to an in-

teragency working group of the federal 

agencies that have responsibility for dif-

ferent aspects of mobile phone safety to 

ensure a coordinated effort at the federal 

level. These agencies are: