energy coming from wirelessphones?The Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is
developing a technical standard for
measuring the Radio Frequency
(RF) energy exposure from wireless
phones and other wireless
handsets with the participation
and leadership of FDA scientists
and engineers. The standard,
“Recommended Practice for
Determining the Spatial-Peak
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in
the Human BodyDue toWireless
Communications Devices:
Experimental Techniques”, sets
forth the first consistent test
methodology for measuring the
rate at which RF is deposited in the
heads of wireless phone users. The
test method uses a tissue-
simulating model of the human
head. Standardized SAR test
methodology is expected to greatly
improve the consistency of
measurements made at different
laboratorieson the same phone.
SAR is the measurement of the
amount of energy absorbed in
tissue, either bythe whole body or
asmall part of the body. It is
measured in watts/kg (or
milliwatts/g) of matter. This
measurement is used to determine
whether a wireless phone complies
with safety guidelines.
9. What steps can I take toreduce my exposure to RadioFrequency energy from mywireless phone?If thereis a risk from these
products — and at this point we
do not know that there is — it is
probably very small. But if you are
concerned about avoiding even
potential risks, you can take a few
simple steps tominimize your
exposure to Radio Frequency (RF)
energy. Since time is a key factor in
how much exposure a person
receives, reducing the amount of
time spent using a wireless phone
will reduce RF exposure. If you
must conduct extended
conversations by wireless phone
every day, you could place more
distance between your body and
the source of the RF, since the
exposure level drops off
dramatically with distance. For
example, you could use a headset
and carry the wireless phone away
from your body or use a wireless
phone connected to a remote
antenna. Again, the scientific data
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