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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 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 subjects 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
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