LMQ630UM User Manual

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For Your Safety 138

2. What is the FDA’s role concerning the safety of wireless

devices?

Under the law, the FDA does not review the safety of radiation emitting consumer

products such as wireless devices before they can be sold, as it does with new

drugs or medical devices. However, the agency has authority to take action if

wireless devices 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 devices to notify users of the health hazard and to repair, replace, or recall

the devices so that the hazard no longer exists. Although the existing scientific

data do not justify FDA regulatory actions, the FDA has urged the wireless device

industry to take a number of steps, including the following:

• Support needed research into possible biological effects of RF emitted by

wirelessdevices;

• Design wireless devices in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user

thatisnotnecessaryfordevicefunction;and

• Cooperateinprovidingofwirelessdeviceswiththebestpossibleinformationon

possible effects of wireless device 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 devices with the Federal

CommunicationsCommission(FCC).Alldevices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 devices.

TheFCCalsoregulatesthebasestationsthatthewirelessdevicenetworksrely

upon. While these base stations operate at a higher power than wireless devices

themselves, the RF exposure on people from these base stations is typically

thousands of times lower than it is from wireless devices. Base stations are thus

not the subject of the safety questions discussed in this document.

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LG Electronics LMQ630UM K61