U.S.Cellular Cdm-2080 User Manual page 31

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 inter‐agency 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
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 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 far below the FCC safety limits.
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