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5
Are wireless phones safe?
Scientific research on the subject of
wireless phones and radio frequency (“RF”)
energy has been conducted worldwide for
many years, and continues. In the United
States, the Food and Drug Administration
(“FDA”) and the Federal Communications
Commission (“FCC”) set policies and
procedures for wireless phones. The FDA
issued a website publication on health issues
related to cell phone usage where it states,
“The scientific community at large …believes
that the weight of scientific evidence does
not show an association between exposure
to radiofrequency (RF) from cell phones and
adverse health outcomes. Still the scientific
community does recommend conducting
additional research to address gaps in
knowledge. That research is being conducted
around the world and FDA continues to
monitor developments in this field. You can
access the joint FDA/FCC website at http://
www.fda.gov (under “c”in the subject index,
select Cell Phones > Research). You can
also contact the FDA toll-free at (888) 463-
6332 or (888) INFO-FDA. In June 2000,
the FDA entered into a cooperative research
and development agreement through
which additional scientific research is being
conducted. The FCC issued its own website
publication stating that “there is no scientific
evidence that proves that wireless phone
usage can lead to cancer or a variety of other
problems, including headaches, dizziness
or memory loss.”This publication is available
at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cellular.html or
through the FCC at (888) 225-5322 or
(888) CALL-FCC.
What does “SAR” mean?
In 1996, the FCC, working with the FDA, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and
other agencies, established RF exposure
safety guidelines for wireless phones in
the United States. Before a wireless phone
model is available for sale to the public, it
must be tested by the manufacturer and
certified to the FCC that it does not exceed
limits established by the FCC. One of these
limits is expressed as a Specific Absorption
Rate, or “SAR.” SAR is a measure of the
rate of absorption of RF energy in the body.
Tests for SAR are conducted with the phone
transmitting at its highest power level in all
tested frequency bands. Since 1996, the
FCC has required that the SAR of handheld
wireless phones not exceed 1.6 watts per
kilogram, averaged over one gram of tissue.
Although the SAR is determined at the
highest power level, the actual SAR value of
a wireless phone while operating can be less
than the reported SAR value. This is because
the SAR value may vary from call to call,
depending on factors such as proximity to
a cell site, the proximity of the phone to the
body while in use, and the use of hands-free
devices. For more information about SARs,
see the FCC’s OET Bulletins 56 and 65 at
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_
Technology/Documents/bulletins or visit
the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association website at http://www.ctia.org/
consumer_info/index.cfm/AID/10371. You
may also wish to contact the manufacturer
of your phone.
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