Filter
Top Products
112
Although the existing scientific data
does not justify FDA regulatory
actions, the FDA has urged the
wireless phone industry to take a
number of steps, including the
following:
●
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:
●
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health
●
Environmental Protection Agency
●
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
●
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.
These RF exposures are limited by
FCC safety guidelines that were
developed with the advice of the
FDA and other federal health and
safety agencies. When the phone is
located at greater distances from the
Safety