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126
Other Medical Devices
If you use any personal medical device, consult the manufacturer of
your device to determine if they are adequately shielded from external
RF energy. Your physician may be able to assist you in obtaining this
information. Turn your phone OFF in health care facilities when any
regulations posted in these areas instruct you to do so. Hospitals or
health care facilities may be using equipment that could be sensitive
to external RF energy.
Vehicles
RF signals may affect improperly installed or inadequately shielded
electronic systems in motor vehicles. Check with the manufacturer or
its representative regarding your vehicle. You should also consult the
manufacturer of any equipment that has been added to your vehicle.
Posted Facilities
Turn your phone OFF in any facility where posted notice so require.
FCC regulations prohibit using your phone while in the air. Switch
OFF your phone before boarding an aircraft.
To avoid interfering with blasting operations, turn your phone OFF
when in a
blasting area or in areas posted Turn off two-way radio.
Obey all signals and instructions.
Turn your phone OFF when in any area with a potentially explosive
atmosphere and obey all signs and instructions. Sparks in such areas
could cause an explosion or fire resulting in bodily injury or even death.
Areas with a potentially explosive atmosphere are not always clearly
marked. They include fueling areas such as gasoline stations; below
deck on boats; fuel or chemical transfer or storage facilities; vehicles
using liquefied petroleum gas (such as propane or butane;) areas
where the air contains chemicals or particles, such as grain, dust, or
metal powders; and any other area where you would normally be
advised to turn off your vehicle engine.
127
Safety Guidelines
FDA Consumer Update
The FDA has been receiving inquiries about the safety of mobile
phones, including cellular phones and PCS phones. The following
summarizes what is known—and what remains unknown—about
whether these products can pose a hazard to health, and what can be
done to minimize any potential risk. This information may be used to
respond to questions.
Why the concern?
Mobile phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy (i.e.,
radiofrequency radiation) in the microwave range while being used.
They also emit very low levels of radiofrequency energy (RF),
considered non-significant, when in the standby mode. It is well
known that high levels of RF can produce biological damage through
heating effects (this is how your microwave oven is able to cook
food). However, it is not known whether, to what extent, or through
what mechanism, lower levels of RF might cause adverse health
effects as well. Although some research has been done to address
these questions, no clear picture of the biological effects of this type
of radiation has emerged to date. Thus, the available science does
not allow us to conclude that mobile phones are absolutely safe, or
that they are unsafe. However, the available scientific evidence does
not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use
of mobile phones.
What kinds of phones are in question?
Questions have been raised about hand-held mobile phones,
especially the kind that have a built-in antenna that is positioned close
to the user’s head during normal telephone conversation. These types
of mobile phones are of concern because of the short distance
between the phone’s antenna—the primary source of the RF—and
the person’s head. The exposure to RF from mobile phones in which
the antenna is located at greater distances from the user (on the
outside of a car, for example) is drastically lower than that from hand-
held phones, because a person’s RF exposure decreases rapidly with
distance from the source. The safety of so-called cordless phones,
which have a base unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house
and which operate at far lower power levels and frequencies, has not
been questioned.