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Appendix C: Consumer Update

Consumer Update
Consumer Update on Mobile Phones
(Published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for
Devices and Radiological Health, October 20, 1999.)
FDA has been receiving inquiries about the safety of mobile
phones, including cellular phones and PCS phones. The
following summarizes what is known--and what remains
unknown--about whether these products can pose a hazard to
health, and what can be done to minimize any potential risk. Thi s
information may be used to respond to questions.
Why the concern?
Mobile phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy (i.e.,
radiofrequency radiation) in the microwave range while being
used. They also emit very low levels of radiofrequency energy
(RF), considered non-significant, when in the stand-by mode . It is
well known that high levels of RF can produce biological damage
through heating effects (this is how your microwave oven is able
to cook food). However, it is not kno wn whethe r , to w hat ex tent, or
through what mechanism, lower levels of RF might cause
adverse health effects as well. Although some research has been
done to address these questions, no clear pi cture of the biologic al
effects of this type of radiation has emerged to date. Thus, the
available science does not allow us to conclude that mobile
phones are absolutely safe, or that they are uns afe. Ho wev er, the
available scientific evidence does not demonstrate any adverse
health effects associated with the use of mobile phones.
What kind of phones are in question?
Questions have been raised about hand-held mobile p hon es , th e
kind that have a built-in antenna that is positioned close to the
user’s head during normal telephone conversation. These types
of mobile phones are of concern because of the short distance
between the phone’s antenna — the primary source of the RF —
and the person’s head. The exposure to RF from mobile phones
in which the antenna is located at greater distances from t he use r
(on the outside of a car, for example) is drastically lower than th at
from hand-held phones, because a person’s RF exposure
decreases rapidly with distance from the source. The safety of
so-called “cordless phones", which have a base unit connected to