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Safety Guidelines
] Support needed research into possible biological
effects of RF of the type emitted by wireless phones;
] Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any
RF exposure to the user that is not necessary for
device function; and
] Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones
with the best possible information on possible
effects of wireless phone use on human health.
The FDA belongs to an interagency working group of
the federal agencies that have responsibility for
different aspects of RF safety to ensure coordinated
efforts at the federal level. The following agencies
belong to this working group:
o National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health
o Environmental Protection Agency
o Occupational Safety and Health Administration
o National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some
interagency working group activities, as well.
The FDA shares regulatory responsibilities for wireless
phones with the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). All phones that are sold in the United States
must comply with FCC safety guidelines that limit RF
exposure. The FCC relies on the FDA and other health
agencies for safety questions about wireless phones.
The FCC also regulates the base stations that the
wireless phone networks rely upon. While these base
stations operate at higher power than do the wireless
phones themselves, the RF exposures that people get
from these base stations are typically thousands of
times lower than those they can get from wireless
phones. Base stations are thus not the subject of the
safety questions discussed in this document.
3.What kinds of phones are the subject of this update?
The term ‘wireless phone’ refers here to handheld
wireless phones with built-in antennas, often called
‘cell’, ‘mobile’, or ‘PCS’ phones. These types of
wireless phones can expose the user to measurable
radiofrequency energy (RF) because of the short
distance between the phone and the user’s head.
These RF exposures are limited by FCC safety
guidelines that were developed with the advice of
the FDA and other federal health and safety