193
APPENDIX
2. What is FDA’s role concerning the safety of wireless phones?
Under the law, 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 radiofrequency energy (RF)
at a level that is hazardous to the user. In such a case, 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, FDA
has urged the wireless phone industry to take a number of steps, including the following:
x Support needed research into possible biological effects of RF of the type emitted by wireless
phones;
x Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user that is not necessary
for device function; and
x Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones with the best possible information on possible
effects of wireless phone use on human health.
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:
x National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
x Environmental Protection Agency
x Federal Communications Commission
x Occupational Safety and Health Administration
x National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some inter-agency working group activities, as
well. 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. FCC relies on FDA and other health agencies for safety questions
about wireless phones. 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 are typically thousands of times lower than
