For Your Safety
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2. What is the FDA's role concerning the safety of wireless phones?
Under the law, the FDA 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. However, the agency has
authority to take action if wireless phones are shown to emit Radio
Frequency (RF) energy at a level that is hazardous to the user. In such
a case, the 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,
the 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.
The 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
•
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
•
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some interagency
working group activities, 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.
