Safety
FDA Consumer
Update
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| The U.S. Food and Drug |
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| Administration’s Center for |
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| Devices and Radiological Health |
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| 1. Do wireless phones pose a |
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| Consumer Update on Mobile |
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| health hazard? |
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| Phones: |
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| The available scientific evidence |
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| does not show that any health |
Safety | problems are associated with | |
using wireless phones. There is | ||
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| no proof, however, that wireless |
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| phones are absolutely safe. |
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| Wireless phones emit low levels |
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| of Radio Frequency (RF) energy |
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| in the microwave range while |
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| being used. They also emit very |
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| low levels of RF when in standby |
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| mode. Whereas high levels of RF |
92 | can produce health effects (by | |
heating tissue), exposure to low | ||
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| level RF that does not produce |
heating effects causes no known adverse health effects. Many studies of low level RF exposures have not found any biological effects. Some studies have suggested that some biological effects may occur, but such findings have not been confirmed by additional research. In some cases, other researchers have had difficulty in reproducing those studies, or in determining the reasons for inconsistent results. 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
