Filter
Top Products
Health and Safety Information
137
limit radio frequency energy (RF) exposures. FCC
established these guidelines in consultation with FDA and
other federal health and safety agencies. The FCC limit for
exposure from wireless telephones is set at a Specific
Absorption Rate (SAR) of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg).
The FCC limit is consistent with the safety standards
developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering (IEEE) and the National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurement. The exposure limit takes into
consideration the body’s ability to remove heat from the
tissue that absorb energy from the wireless phone and is set
well below levels known to have effects.
Manufacturers of wireless phones must report the RF
exposure level for each model of phone to the FCC. The FCC
website (
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety) gives directions
for locating the FCC identification number on your phone so
you can find your phone’s RF exposure level in the online
listing.
What has FDA done to measure the radio
frequency energy coming from wireless
phones?
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is
developing a technical standard for measuring the radio
frequency energy (RF) exposure from wireless phones and
other wireless hand sets with the participation and
leadership of FDA scientists and engineers. The standard,
“Recommended Practice for Determining the Spatial-Peak
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the Human Body Due to
Wireless Communications Devices: Experimental
Techniques,” sets forth the first consistent test methodology
for measuring the rate at which RF is deposited in the heads
of wireless phone users. The test method uses a tissue-
simulating model of the human head. Standardized SAR test
methodology is expected to greatly improve the consistency
of measurements made at different laboratories on the