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17Safety Guidelines
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 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 wir
eless phones;
• Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user
that is no
t necessary for device function; and
• Cooperate in providing of wireless phones with the best possible information
on possible ef
fects 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 (Administración de la
segur
idad 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
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