User's Manual

121
&$!BELONGSTOANINTERAGENCYWORKINGGROUPOFTHEFEDERALAGENCIES
THATHAVERESPONSIBILITYFORDIFFERENTASPECTSOF2&SAFETYTOENSURE
COORDINATEDEFFORTSATTHEFEDERALLEVEL4HEFOLLOWINGAGENCIESBELONG
TOTHISWORKINGGROUP
s .ATIONAL)NSTITUTEFOR/CCUPATIONAL3AFETYAND(EALTH
s %NVIRONMENTAL0ROTECTION!GENCY
s &EDERAL#OMMUNICATIONS#OMMISSION
s /CCUPATIONAL3AFETYAND(EALTH!DMINISTRATION
s .ATIONAL4ELECOMMUNICATIONSAND)NFORMATION!DMINISTRATION
4HE.ATIONAL)NSTITUTESOF(EALTHPARTICIPATESINSOMEINTERAGENCYWORK
INGGROUPACTIVITIESASWELL&$!SHARESREGULATORYRESPONSIBILITIESFOR
WIRELESSPHONESWITHTHE&EDERAL#OMMUNICATIONS#OMMISSION&##!LL
PHONESTHATARESOLDINTHE5NITED3TATESMUSTCOMPLYWITH&##SAFETY
GUIDELINESTHATLIMIT2&EXPOSURE&##RELIESON&$!ANDOTHERHEALTH
AGENCIESFORSAFETYQUESTIONSABOUTWIRELESSPHONES&##ALSOREGULATES
THEBASESTATIONSTHATTHEWIRELESSPHONENETWORKSRELYUPON7HILE
THESEBASESTATIONSOPERATEATHIGHERPOWERTHANDOTHEWIRELESSPHONES
THEMSELVESTHE2&EXPOSURESTHATPEOPLEGETFROMTHESEBASESTATIONS
ARETYPICALLYTHOUSANDSOFTIMESLOWERTHANTHOSETHEYCANGETFROM
WIRELESSPHONES"ASESTATIONSARETHUSNOTTHESUBJECTOFTHESAFETYQUES
TIONSDISCUSSEDINTHISDOCUMENT
7HATKINDSOFPHONESARETHESUBJECTOFTHISUPDATE
4HETERMhWIRELESSPHONEvREFERSHERETOHANDHELDWIRELESSPHONES
WITHBUILTINANTENNASOFTENCALLEDhCELLvhMOBILEvORh0#3vPHONES
4HESETYPESOFWIRELESSPHONESCANEXPOSETHEUSERTOMEASURABLE
RADIOFREQUENCYENERGY2&BECAUSEOFTHESHORTDISTANCEBETWEENTHE
PHONEANDTHEUSERSHEAD4HESE2&EXPOSURESARELIMITEDBY&EDERAL
#OMMUNICATIONS#OMMISSIONSAFETYGUIDELINESTHATWEREDEVELOPEDWITH
THEADVICEOF&$!ANDOTHERFEDERALHEALTHANDSAFETYAGENCIES7HEN
THEPHONEISLOCATEDATGREATERDISTANCESFROMTHEUSERTHEEXPOSURE
TO2&ISDRASTICALLYLOWERBECAUSEAPERSONS2&EXPOSUREDECREASES
RAPIDLYWITHINCREASINGDISTANCEFROMTHESOURCE4HESOCALLEDhCORDLESS
PHONESvWHICHHAVEABASEUNITCONNECTEDTOTHETELEPHONEWIRINGINA
HOUSETYPICALLYOPERATEATFARLOWERPOWERLEVELSANDTHUSPRODUCE2&
EXPOSURESFARBELOWTHE&##SAFETYLIMITS
FDA CONSUMER UPDATE
SAFETY INFORMATION
120
SAFETY INFORMATION
FDA CONSUMER UPDATE
$OWIRELESSPHONESPOSEAHEALTHHAZ ARD
4HEAVAILABLESCIENTIFICEVIDENCEDOESNOTSHOWTHATANYHEALTHPROBLEMS
ARE
ASSOCIATEDWITHUSINGWIRELESSPHONES4HEREISNOPROOFHOWEVER
THATWIRELESSPHONESAREABSOLUTELYSAFE7IRELESSPHONESEMITLOWLEVELS
OFRADIOFREQUENCYENERGY2&INTHEMICROWAVERANGEWHILEBEINGUSED
4HEYALSOEMITVERYLOWLEVELSOF2&WHENINTHESTANDBYMODE7HEREAS
HIGHLEVELSOF2&CANPRODUCEHEALTHEFFECTSBYHEATINGTISSUEEXPOSURE
TO
LOWLEVEL2&THATDOESNOTPRODUCEHEATINGEFFECTSCAUSESNOKNOWN
ADVERSEHEALTHEFFECTS-ANYSTUDIESOFLOWLEVEL2&EXPOSURESHAVENOT
FOUNDANYBIOLOGICALEFFECTS3OMESTUDIESHAVESUGGESTEDTHATSOME
BIOLOGICALEFFECTSMAYOCCURBUTSUCHFINDINGSHAVENOTBEENCONFIRMED
BYADDITIONALRESEARCH)NSOMECASESOTHERRESEARCHERSHAVEHADDIF

FICULTY
INREPRODUCINGTHOSESTUDIESORINDETERMININGTHEREASONSFOR
INCONSISTENTRESULTS
7HATIS&$!SROLECONCERNINGTHESAFETYOFWIRELESSPHONES
5NDERTHELAW&$!DOESNOTREVIEWTHESAFETYOFRADIATIONEMITTING
CONSUMERPRODUCTSSUCHASWIRELESSPHONESBEFORETHEYCANBESOLDAS
ITDOESWITHNEWDRUGSORMEDICALDEVICES(OWEVERTHEAGENCYHAS
AUTHORITYTOTAKEACTIONIFWIRELESSPHONESARESHOWNTOEMITRADIOFRE
QUENCYENERGY2&ATALEVELTHATISHAZARDOUSTOTHEUSER)NSUCHACASE
&$!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!LTHOUGHTHEEXISTINGSCIENTIFICDATADONOT
JUSTIFY&$!REGULATORYACTIONS&$!HASURGEDTHEWIRELESSPHONEINDUS
TRYTOTAKEANUMBEROFSTEPSINCLUDINGTHEFOLLOWING
s 3UPPORTNEEDEDRESEARCHINTOPOSSIBLEBIOLOGICALEFFECTSOF2&OFTHE
TYPEEMITTEDBYWIRELESSPHONES
s $ESIGNWIRELESSPHONESINAWAYTHATMINIMIZESANY2&EXPOSURETO
THEUSERTHATISNOTNECESSARYFORDEVICEFUNCTIONAND
s #OOPERATEINPROVIDINGUSERSOFWIRELESSPHONESWITHTHEBEST
POSSIBLEINFORMATIONONPOSSIBLEEFFECTSOFWIRELESSPHONEUSEON
HUMAN
HEALTH
53&O O DAND$RUG!DMINISTRATIO N
#ENTERFO R$EVICESAND2ADIO LO GICAL(EALTH
#O NSUMER5PDATEO N-O BILE0HO NES