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 Phone 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 phone are being produced to conform with FCC regulatory
requirements. The manufacturer of a cell phone that does not meet FCC’s regulatory
requirements may be required to remove the cell phone from use and to refund the
purchase price or provide a replacement phone, and may be subject to civil or
criminal penalties. In addition, if the cell phone 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 phone. FCC measures
the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the phone, 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
phone. 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 phone, 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 phone RF,
and agreed it is an acceptable approach, given our current understanding of the risks
presented by cellular phone RF emissions. RF emissions from cellular phones 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 phone RF, and concerning chronic effects of long-term exposure to cellular
telephone RF (that is, the risks from using a cell phone for many years). If new
information leads FDA to believe that a change to FCC’s measurement policy may be
appropriate, FDA will contact FCC and both agencies will work together to develop a
mutually-acceptable approach.