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For Your Safety 164
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
• Cooperate in providing users 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:
• 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 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.
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