Using Your Treo 700P Smartphone 297

Regulatory information

NEPA responsibilities and has considered adopting guidelines for evaluating RF exposure from U.S. Government transmitters such as radar and military facilities.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has conducted research on the biological effects of RF energy for a number of years. This research is now conducted primarily at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory located at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. The DOD Web site for RF biological effects information is listed with other sites in conjunction with a question on other sources of information, below.

Who funds and carries out research on the biological

effects of RF energy? Research into possible biological effects of RF energy is carried out in laboratories in the United States and around the world. In the U.S., most research has been funded by the Department of Defense, due to the extensive military use of RF equipment such as radar and high-powered radio transmitters. In addition, some federal agencies responsible for health and safety, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have sponsored and conducted research in this area. At the present time, most of the non-military research on biological effects of RF energy in the U.S. is being funded by industry organizations. More research is being carried out overseas, particularly in Europe.

In 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the International EMF Project to review the scientific literature and work towards resolution of health concerns over the use of RF technology. WHO maintains a Web site that provides extensive information on this project and about RF biological effects and research (www.who.ch/peh-emf).

FDA, EPA and other US government agencies responsible for public health and safety have worked together and in connection with WHO to monitor developments and identify research needs related to RF biological effects.

How does FCC Audit Cell Smartphone RF? After FCC grants permission for a particular cellular telephone to be marketed, FCC will occasionally conduct “post-grant” testing to determine whether production versions of the smartphone are being produced to conform with FCC regulatory requirements.

The manufacturer of a cell smartphone that does not meet FCC's regulatory requirements may be required to remove the cell smartphone from use and to refund the purchase price or provide a replacement smartphone, and may be subject to civil or criminal penalties. In addition, if the cell smartphone presents a risk of injury to the user, FDA may also take regulatory action. The most important post-grant test, from a consumer's perspective, is testing of the RF emissions of the smartphone. FCC measures the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the smartphone, following a very rigorous testing protocol. As is true for nearly any scientific measurement, there is a possibility that the test measurement may be less than or greater than the actual RF emitted by the smartphone. This difference between the RF test measurement and actual RF emission is because test measurements are limited by instrument accuracy, because test measurement and actual use environments are different, and other variable factors. This inherent variability is known as “measurement uncertainty.” When FCC conducts post-grant testing of a cell smartphone, FCC takes into account any measurement uncertainty to when determining whether regulatory action is appropriate. This approach ensures that when FCC takes regulatory action, it will have a sound, defensible scientific basis.

FDA scientific staff reviewed the methodology used by FCC to measure cell smartphone RF, and agreed it is an acceptable approach, given our current understanding of the risks presented by cellular smartphone RF emissions. RF emissions from cellular smartphones have not been shown to present a risk of injury to the user when the measured SAR is less than the safety limits set by FCC (an SAR of 1.6 w/kg). Even in a case where the maximum measurement uncertainty permitted by current measurement standards was added to the maximum permissible SAR, the resulting SAR value would be well below any level known to produce an acute effect. Consequently, FCC's approach with measurement uncertainty will not result in consumers being exposed to any known risk from the RF emitted by cellular telephones.

FDA will continue to monitor studies and literature reports concerning acute effects of cell smartphone RF, and concerning chronic effects of long-term exposure to cellular telephone RF (that is, the risks from using a cell smartphone for many years).