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For Your Safety
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 does 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.