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Additional safety information
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action if wireless phones are shown to emit radiofrequency energy (RF) at a
level that is hazardous to the user. In such a case, 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 do not justify FDA regulatory actions,
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 phone function; and
• Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones with the best possible
information on possible effects of wireless phone use on human health.
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
• Federal Communications Commission
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some interagency working
group activities, as well.
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. FCC
relies on FDA and other health agencies for safety questions about wireless
phones. 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