MS345 User Manual

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107

Safety

FDA Consumer Update

TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration’sCenterforDevicesandRadiological

HealthConsumerUpdateonMobilePhones:

1. Do wireless phones pose a health hazard?

Theavailablescientificevidencedoesnotshowthatanyhealthproblemsareassociated

withusingwirelessphones.Thereisnoproof,however,thatwirelessphonesare

absolutelysafe.WirelessphonesemitlowlevelsofRadioFrequency(RF)energyin

themicrowaverangewhilebeingused.TheyalsoemitverylowlevelsofRFwhenin

standbymode.WhereashighlevelsofRFcanproducehealtheffects(byheatingtissue),

exposuretolowlevelRFthatdoesnotproduceheatingeffectscausesnoknown

adversehealtheffects.ManystudiesoflowlevelRFexposureshavenotfoundany

biologicaleffects.Somestudieshavesuggestedthatsomebiologicaleffectsmayoccur,

butsuchfindingshavenotbeenconfirmedbyadditionalresearch.Insomecases,other

researchershavehaddifficultyinreproducingthosestudies,orindeterminingthe

reasonsforinconsistentresults.

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

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User Manual - Page 109