Section 12: Health and Safety Information 173
Consumer Information on Wireless Phones
Section 12
THE PROPER CONFIGURATION FOR THE POWER
OUTLET.
Consumer Information on Wireless Phones
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
published a series of Questions and Answers for
consumers relating to radio frequency (RF) exposure
from wireless phones. The FDA publication includes the
following information:
What kinds of phones are the subject of this update?
The term wireless phone refers here to hand-held wireless
phones with built-in antennas, often called "cell,"
"mobile," or "PCS" phones. These types of wireless phones
can expose the user to measurable radio frequency energy
(RF) because of the short distance between the phone and
the user's head. These RF exposures are limited by Federal
Communications Commission safety guidelines that
were developed with the advice of FDA and other federal
health and safety agencies. When the phone is located at
greater distances from the user, the exposure to RF is
drastically lower because a person's RF exposure
decreases rapidly with increasing distance from the
source. The so-called "cordless phones," which have a
base unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house,
typically operate at far lower power levels, and thus
produce RF exposures well within the FCC's compliance
limits.
Do wireless phones pose a health hazard?
The available scientific evidence does not show that any
health problems are associated with using wireless