Filter
Top Products
143
2. What is the FDA’s role concerning the safety
of wireless phones?
Under the law, the FDA does not review the safety
of radiation-emitting consumer products such
as wireless phones before they can be sold, as it
does with new drugs or medical devices. However,
the agency has authority to take action if wireless
phones are shown to emit Radio Frequency
(RF) energy at a level that is hazardous to the
user. In such a case, the FDA could require the
manufacturers of wireless 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 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
•
•
•