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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 RF exposures have not found
any biological effects. Some studies have suggested
that some biological effects may occur, but such
findings have not been confirmed by additional
research. In some cases, other researchers have had
difficulty in reproducing those studies, or in
determining the reasons for inconsistent results.
102
as reported to the FCC are:
• 0.662 W/kg CDMA Head SAR 0.571 W/kg
CDMA Body SAR
• 1.06 W/kg PCS Head SAR 0.651 W/kg
PCS Body SAR
SAR information on this and other model phones
can be viewed online at www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid.
To find information that pertains to a particular
model phone, this site uses the phone FCC ID number
which is usually printed somewhere on the case
of the phone. Sometimes it may be necessary to
remove the battery pack to find the number. Once
you have the FCC ID number for a particular phone,
follow the instructions on the Web site and it should
provide values for typical or maximum SAR for a
particular phone. Additional product specific SAR
information can also be obtained at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar.
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)
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