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Section 4: Safety Guidelines and Warranty Information
4A: Safety 126
activities related to RF safety and health are presently limited to
advisory functions. For example, the EPA now chairs an Inter-
agency Radiofrequency Working Group, which coordinates RF
health-related activities among the various federal agencies with
health or regulatory responsibilities in this area.
OSHA is responsible for protecting workers from exposure to
hazardous chemical and physical agents. In 1971, OSHA issued
a protection guide for exposure of workers to RF radiation [29
CFR 1910.97]. However, this guide was later ruled to be only
advisory and not mandatory. Moreover, it was based on an
earlier RF exposure standard that has now been revised. At the
present time, OSHA uses the IEEE and/or FCC exposure
guidelines for enforcement purposes under OSHA's "general
duty clause" (for more information see:
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/index.html).
NIOSH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. It conducts research and investigations into issues
related to occupational exposure to chemical and physical
agents. NIOSH has, in the past, undertaken to develop RF
exposure guidelines for workers, but final guidelines were
never adopted by the agency. NIOSH conducts safety-related
RF studies through its Physical Agents Effects Branch in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
The NTIA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce
and is responsible for authorizing Federal Government use of
the RF electromagnetic spectrum. Like the FCC, the NTIA also
has NEPA responsibilities and has considered adopting
guidelines for evaluating RF exposure from U.S. Government
transmitters such as radar and military facilities.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has conducted research on
the biological effects of RF energy for a number of years. This
research is now conducted primarily at the U.S. Air Force
Research Laboratory located at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas.
The DOD Web site for RF biological effects information is listed
with other sites in conjunction with a question on other
sources of information, below.
26. Who funds and carries out research on the biological effects of
RF energy?
Research into possible biological effects of RF energy is carried
out in laboratories in the United States and around the world. In