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Safety
O
Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the
user that is not necessary for device function; and
O
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 Radio Frequency (RF)
energy because of the short distance between the phone and the user’s
head.