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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 subject of the
safety questions discussed in this document.
3. What kinds of phones are the subject of this update?
The term “wireless phone” refers here to handheld
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 FCC safety
guidelines that were developed with the advice of the
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 far
below the FCC safety limits.
4. What are the results of the research done already?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting
results, and many studies have suffered from flaws in
their research methods. Animal experiments
investigating the effects of radiofrequency energy (RF)
exposures characteristic of wireless phones have
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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, the 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 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
•
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.
The FCC relies on the FDA and other health agencies for
safety questions about wireless phones.
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