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16
Safety Guidelines
has authority to take action if wireless
phones are shown to emit radio frequency
energy (RF) 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 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:
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National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health
Environmental Protection Agency
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (Administración de la
seguridad y salud laborales)
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.
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.
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