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What does “SAR” mean?
In 1996, the FCC, working with the
FDA, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and other
agencies, established RF exposure
safety guidelines for wireless
phones in the United States. Before
a wireless phone model is available
for sale to the public, it must be
tested by the manufacturer and
certified to the FCC that it does
not exceed limits established by the
FCC. One of these limits is
expressed as a Specific Absorption
Rate, or “SAR.” SAR is a measure of
the rate of absorption of RF energy
in the body. Tests for SAR are
conducted with the phone
transmitting at its highest power
level in all tested frequency bands.
Since 1996, the FCC has required
that the SAR of handheld wireless
phones not exceed 1.6 watts per
kilogram, averaged over one gram of
tissue.
Although the SAR is determined at
the highest power level, the actual
SAR value of a wireless phone while
operating can be less than the
reported SAR value. This is because
the SAR value may vary from call to
call, depending on factors such as
proximity to a cell site, the
proximity of the phone to the body
while in use, and the use of hands-
free devices. For more information
about SARs, see the FCC’s OET
Bulletins 56 and 65 at
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engine
ering_Technology/Documents/bulle
tins or visit the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry
Association website at
http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info
/index.cfm/AID/10371. You may
also wish to contact the
manufacturer of your phone.
Can I minimize my RF exposure?
If you are concerned about RF,
there are several simple steps you
can take to minimize your RF
exposure. You can, of course,
reduce your talk time. You can
place more distance between your
body and the source of the RF, as
the exposure level drops off
dramatically with distance. The
FDA/FCC website states that
“hands-free kits can be used with
wireless phones for convenience
and comfort. These systems reduce
the absorption of RF energy in the
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