Communicate in style
138
Communicate in style
137
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
FDA belongs to an interagency working 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.
Safety Information
Safety Information
Safety Information
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.
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.
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 radiofrequency 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.
Summary of Contents for VK530
Page 1: ...Communicate in style 2 VK530 ...
Page 77: ......
