FDA’s Shuren says cell phone RF exposure is safe in light of NTP animal study

The FDA today reiterated its view that radiofrequency energy exposure associated with cell phone use is safe in light of a new study from the National Toxicology Program, which indicated a carcinogenic effect in rats.

The study, conducted by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, aimed to evaluate the the effects of high exposure radiofrequency at levels “considerably above the current safety limits for cell phones” to learn more about the effects of radiofrequency energy on animal tissue, according to FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health Director Jeffrey Shuren.

Shuren said that the topic of research had been nominated in 1999, at a time where there was a lack of epidemiological and long-term animal studies exploring the effect of RF energy from cellular phones.

“Fortunately, since then, there have been hundreds of studies from which to draw a wealth of information about these technologies which have come to play an important role in our everyday lives. Taken together, all of this research provides a more complete picture regarding radiofrequency energy exposure that has informed the FDA’s assessment of this important public health issue, and given us the confidence that the current safety limits for cell phone radiation remain acceptable for protecting the public health,” Shuren said in a prepared statement.

Results from the study indicated that the male rats which showed carcinogenic activity were exposed to a radiofrequency energy exposure rate “much higher” than the current standard, and that currently FDA safety limits are set to include a 50-fold safety margin from observed effects of RF energy exposure, according to the FDA release.

“The levels and duration of exposure to radiofrequency radiation were much greater than what people experience with even the highest level of cell phone use, and exposed the rodents’ whole bodies. So, these findings should not be directly extrapolated to human cell phone usage,” researchers wrote about the study, according to an NTP release.

Shuren said that “conclusions still require careful discussion,” as the study found mostly ambiguous evidence that whole body RF energy exposure was the cause of cancer in the animals, and that the FDA looks forward to a peer review of the study in March.

“As part of our work to assess this important public health and consumer safety issue, the FDA has reviewed many sources of scientific and medical evidence related to the possibility of adverse health effects from radiofrequency energy exposure in both humans and animals and will continue to do so as new scientific data are published. We have reviewed the 2016 interim NTP results and are currently reviewing the full set of data from the NTP draft final report. The FDA will work quickly to thoroughly review the data and consider any impact of this work within the context of the full body of scientific evidence on this exposure,” Shuren said in a press release. “In the meantime, I want to underscore that based on our ongoing evaluation of this issue and taking into account all available scientific evidence we have received, we have not found sufficient evidence that there are adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current radiofrequency energy exposure limits. Even with frequent daily use by the vast majority of adults, we have not seen an increase in events like brain tumors. Based on this current information, we believe the current safety limits for cell phones are acceptable for protecting the public health.”

The post FDA’s Shuren says cell phone RF exposure is safe in light of NTP animal study appeared first on MassDevice.

from MassDevice http://ift.tt/2FNqkqq