User's Manual

oversight , obt aining input from expert s in governm ent, indust ry, and
academ ic organizations. CTI A- funded research is conduct ed t hrough
cont ract s to independent invest igat ors. The initial research will include
both laborat ory st udies and studies of wireless phone users. The CRADA
will also include a broad assessm ent of addit ional research needs in the
cont ext of t he latest research developm ent s around the world.
W hat steps can I t ak e t o reduce m y exposure to ra dio frequen cy
energy from m y w ire less phone?
I f there is a risk from t hese product s - and at t his point we do not know
that t here is - it is probably very sm all. But if you are concerned about
avoiding even potent ial risks, you can take a few sim ple steps to m inim ize
your exposure to radio frequency energy ( RF). Since t im e is a key fact or
in how m uch exposure a person receives, reducing t he am ount of tim e
spent using a wireless phone will reduce RF exposure.
 “ I f you m ust conduct ext ended conversations by wireless phone
every day, you could place m ore dist ance between your body and
the source of the RF, since t he exposure level drops off
dram atically with dist ance. For exam ple, you could use a headset
and carry t he wireless phone away from your body.
Again, the scient ific dat a do not dem onst rate that wireless phones are
harm ful. But if you are concerned about the RF exposure from t hese
product s, you can use m easures like t hose described above t o reduce
your RF exposure from wireless phone use.
W hat a bout children usin g w ir ele ss phone s?
The scient ific evidence does not show a danger to users of wireless
phones, including children and teenagers. I f you want t o take steps t o
lower exposure to radio frequency energy ( RF), the m easures described
above would apply t o children and teenagers using wireless phones.
Reducing the tim e of wireless phone use and increasing the dist ance
between t he user and the RF source will reduce RF exposure.
Som e groups sponsored by ot her national governm ent s have advised t hat
children be discouraged from using wireless phones at all. For exam ple,
the governm ent in t he Unit ed Kingdom dist ribut ed leaflet s containing such
a recom m endation in Decem ber 2000. They not ed that no evidence exist s
that using a wireless phone causes brain t um ors or ot her ill effect s. Their
recom m endat ion t o lim it wireless phone use by children was st rict ly
precaut ionary; it was not based on scientific evidence t hat any health
hazard exist s.
Do hands- free kits for w ir eless phones r educe risks from exposure
t o RF em issions?
Since t here are no known risks from exposure to RF em issions from
wireless phones, there is no reason t o believe t hat hands- free kit s reduce
risks. Hands- free kit s can be used wit h wireless phones for convenience
and com fort . These system s reduce t he absorpt ion of RF energy in the
head because t he phone, which is the source of the RF em issions, will not