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Section 12: Health and Safety Information 179
Consumer Information on Wireless Phones
Section 12
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
phones. There is no proof, however, that wireless phones
are absolutely safe. Wireless phones emit low levels of
radio frequency energy (RF) in the microwave range
while being used. They also emit very low levels of RF
when in the stand-by mode. Whereas high levels of RF can
produce health effects (by heating tissue), exposure to low
level RF that does not produce heating effects causes no
known adverse health effects. Many studies of low level