Filter
Top Products
pg
52
MORE INFORMATION
that wireless phone usage can lead to cancer or a variety of other problems, including
headaches, dizziness or memory loss.” This publication is available at
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/mobilephone.html
or through the FCC at
1-888-225-5322 or at 1-888-CALL-FCC.
What does Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) mean?
In 1996, the FCC, working with the FDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and other agencies, established RF exposure safety guidelines for wireless
devices in the United States. Before a wireless device 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 wireless device transmitting at its highest power level in all tested frequency
bands. Since 1996, the FCC has required that the SAR of handheld wireless devices 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 device 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 wireless device 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/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins
,
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid
, or visit the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association (CTIA) website at
http://www.ctia.org/wireless_consumers/health_and_safety
. You may also wish
to contact the manufacturer of your wireless device.