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require further investigation.” The WHO’s comments on Interphone are available at: http://
www.iarc.fr/en/mediacentre/pr/2010/pdfs/pr200_E.pdf. WHO’s publication of Interphone is
available at http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/ije/press_releases/freepdf/dyq079.
pdf; see also, Interphone Appendix 1 (http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/data/dyq079/
DC1/1), and Appendix 2 (http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/data/dyq079/DC1/2).
2. What is FDA's role concerning the safety of wireless devices?
Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radiation-emitting consumer products such
as wireless devices before they can be sold, as it does with new drugs or medical devices.
However, the agency has authority to take action if wireless devices 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 devices to notify users of the health hazard and to
repair, replace or recall the devices so that the hazard no longer exists.
Although the existing scientic data do not justify FDA regulatory actions, FDA has urged the
wireless device industry to take a number of steps, including the
following:
•
Support needed research into possible biological eects of RF of the type emitted by
wireless devices.
•
Design wireless devices in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user that is not
necessary for device function.
•
Cooperate in providing users of wireless devices with the best possible information on
possible eects of wireless device use on human health.
FDA belongs to an interagency working group of the federal agencies that have responsibility
for dierent aspects of RF safety to ensure coordinated eorts 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 devices with the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC). All devices 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 devices.FCC also regulates the base stations that the wireless device