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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) 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.
