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Safety
actions, FDA has urged the wireless phone industr y to take a number
of steps, including the following:
Support needed research into possible biolog ical effects of RF of
the type emitted by wireless phones;
Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to
the user that is not necessary for device funct ion; and
Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones with the best
possible information on possible effects of wi reless phone use on
human health
FDA belongs to an interagency working group of the federal agen cies
that have responsibility for different aspects of RF s afety to ensure
coordinated efforts at the federal level. The followi ng agencies belong
to this working group:
National Institute for Occupational Safety a nd Health
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Communications Commiss ion
Occupational Safety and Health Administratio n
National Telecommunications and Information Ad ministration
The National Institutes of Health partic ipates in some interagency
working group activities, as well.
FDA shares regulatory responsibilities for wireless ph ones with the
Federal Communications Commissi on (FCC). All phones that are sold
in the United States must comply with FCC safet y guidelines that limit
RF exposure. FCC relies on FDA and other health agen cies for safety
questions about wireless phones.
FCC also regulates the base stations that the wireless p hone networks
rely upon. While these base stations operate at higher pow er than
do the wireless phones themselves, the RF exp osures that people
get from these base stations are typically thou sands of times lower
than those they can get from wireless phones. B ase stations are
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