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group of the federal agencies that have
responsibility for different aspects of RF safety
to ensure coordinated efforts 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.
The FDA shares regulatory responsibilities for
wireless phones with the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC). All phones 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 phones.
The FCC also regulates the base stations that the
wireless phone networks rely upon. While these
base stations operate at higher power than do the
wireless phones themselves, the RF exposures that
people get from these base stations are typically
thousands of times lower than those they can get
from wireless phones. Base stations are thus not
the primary subject of the safety questions
discussed in this document.
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What is the FDA's role concerning the
safety of wireless phones?
Under the law, the FDA does not review the safety
of radiation-emitting consumer products such as
wireless phones before they can be sold, as it does
with new drugs or medical devices. However, the
agency has authority to take action if wireless
phones are shown to emit radio frequency energy
(RF) at a level that is hazardous to the user. In
such a case, the FDA could require the manufacturers
of wireless phones to notify users of the health
hazard and to repair, replace or recall the phones
so that the hazard no longer exists.
Although the existing scientific data do not
justify FDA regulatory actions, FDA has urged the
wireless phone industry to take a number of steps,
including the following:
• Support needed research into possible
biological effects of RF of the type emitted
by wireless phones;
• Design wireless phones in a way that
minimizes any RF exposure to the user that
is not necessary for device function; and
• Cooperate in providing users of wireless
phones with the best possible information on
possible effects of wireless phone use on
human health.
The FDA belongs to an interagency working
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