User Manual

Why the concern?
Mobile phones emit low levels of radio frequency energy (i.e., radio fre-
quency radiation) in the microwave range while being used. They also
emit very low levels of radio frequency energy (RF), considered non-sig-
nificant, when in the stand-by mode. It is well known that high levels of
RF can produce biological damage through heating effects (this is how
your microwave oven is able to cook food). However, it is not known
whether, to what extent, or through what mechanism, lower levels of RF
might cause adverse health effects as well. Although some research has
been done to address these questions, no clear picture of the biological
effects of this type of radiation has emerged to date. Thus, the available
science does not allow us to conclude that mobile phones are absolutely
safe, or that they are unsafe. However, the available scientific evidence
does not
demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of
mobile phones.
What kinds of phones are in question?
Questions have been raised about hand-held mobile phones, the kind that
have a built-in antenna that is positioned close to the user's head during
normal telephone conversation. These types of mobile phones are of con-
cern because of the short distance between the phone's antenna--the pri-
mary source of the RF--and the person's head. The exposure to RF from
mobile phones in which the antenna is located at greater distances from
the user (on the outside of a car, for example) is drastically lower than that
from hand-held phones, because a person's RF exposure decreases rapidly
with distance from the source. The safety of so-called "cordless phones,"
which have a base unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house and
which operate at far lower power levels and frequencies, has not been
questioned.
How much evidence is there that hand-held mobile phones might be
harmful?