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2. 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 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
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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
• 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