User manual

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1. Support current and future research regarding possible biological effects of the type
of RF emitted by wireless phones;
2. Design wireless phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user that is
not necessary for device function; and
3. Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones with complete and accurate
information regarding possible effects of wireless phone use on human health and
safety.
The FDA belongs to an interagency working group of the federal agencies that have
responsibility for different aspects of RF safety to ensure coordinated efforts at the federal
level. The following agencies belong to this working group:
1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
2. Environmental Protection Agency
3. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
4. National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some interagency working group activities
as well. The FDA shares regulatory responsibilities for wireless phones with the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). All phones that are sold in the United States must
comply with FCC safety guidelines that act to limit RF exposure. The FCC relies on the FDA
and other health agencies for safety questions about wireless phones.
The FCC also regulates the base stations that the wireless phone networks rely upon. While
these base stations operate at higher power than do the wireless phones themselves, the
RF exposures that people get from these base stations are typically thousands of times
lower than those they can get from wireless phones. Base stations are thus not the subject
of the safety questions discussed in this document.
2. Do wireless phones pose a health hazard?