palmOne Vision Smart Device Treo 650 User Manual page 296

However, the agency has authority to take action if wireless phones are shown to emit
radiofrequency 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 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.
284 Safety