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as well.
The 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. The FCC relies on the FDA
and other health agencies for safety questions
about wireless phones.
The 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
handheld wireless phones with built-in
antennas, often called "cell", "mobile", or
"PCS" phones. These types of wireless phones
can expose the user to measurable Radio
Frequency (RF) energy because of the short
distance between the phone and the user's
head.
These RF exposures are limited by FCC safety
guidelines that were developed with the advice
of the FDA and other federal health and
safety agencies. When the phone is located at
greater distances from the user, the exposure
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