34
Health and safety information
3.
What is FDA’s role concerning the safety of wireless
phones?
Under the law, 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, 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
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.
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
