Samsung SCH-R261 User Manual page 9

Con su m e r I n for m a t ion on W ir e le ss Ph on e s
The U.S. Food and Drug Adm inist ration ( FDA) has published a series of
Quest ions and Answers for consum ers relat ing t o radio frequency ( RF)
ex posure from wireless phones. The FDA publicat ion includes t he
following inform at ion:
W h a t k in ds of ph on e s a r e t h e su bj ect of t h is u pda t e ?
The t erm wireless phone refers here t o hand- held wireless phones wit h
built - in ant ennas, oft en called " cell," " m obile," or " PCS" phones. These
t y pes of wireless phones can ex pose t he user t o m easurable radio
frequency energy ( RF) because of t he short dist ance bet ween t he phone
and t he user's head. These RF exposures are lim it ed by Federal
Com m unicat ions Com m ission safet y guidelines t hat were dev eloped wit h
t he advice of FDA and ot her federal healt h and safet y agencies. When t he
phone is locat ed at great er dist ances from t he user, t he exposure t o RF is
drast ically lower because a person's RF ex posure decreases rapidly wit h
increasing dist ance from t he source. The so- called " cordless phones,"
which have a base unit connect ed t o t he t elephone wiring in a house,
t y pically operat e at far lower power levels, and t hus produce RF
ex posures well wit hin t he FCC's com pliance lim it s.
D o w ir e le ss ph on e s pose a h e a lt h h aza r d?
The available scient ific evidence does not show t hat any healt h problem s
are associat ed wit h using wireless phones. There is no proof, howev er,
t hat wireless phones are absolut ely safe. Wireless phones em it low levels
of radio frequency energy ( RF) in t he m icrowave range w hile being used.
They also em it v ery low lev els of RF when in t he st and- by m ode. Whereas
high levels of RF can produce healt h effect s ( by heat ing t issue) , exposure
t o low level RF t hat does not produce heating effect s causes no known
adverse healt h effect s. Many st udies of low level RF exposures have not
found any biological effect s. Som e st udies have suggested t hat som e
biological effect s m ay occur, but such findings have not been confirm ed
by addit ional research. I n som e cases, ot her researchers hav e had
difficult y in reproducing t hose st udies, or in det erm ining t he reasons for
inconsist ent result s.
W h a t is FD A's r ole con ce r n in g t h e sa fet y of w ir e le ss ph on e s?
Under t he law, FDA does not review t he safet y of radiat ion- em it t ing
consum er product s such as wireless phones before t hey can be sold, as it
does wit h new drugs or m edical devices. However, t he agency has
aut horit y t o t ake act ion if wireless phones are shown t o em it radio
frequency energy ( RF) at a level t hat is hazardous t o t he user. I n such a
case, FDA could require t he m anufact urers of wireless phones t o not ify
users of t he healt h hazard and t o repair, replace or recall t he phones so
t hat t he hazard no longer exist s.
Alt hough t he exist ing scient ific dat a do not j ust ify FDA regulat ory act ions,
FDA has urged t he wireless phone indust ry t o t ake a num ber of st eps,
including t he following: