Personal Communicator User's Guide

FDA Update for Mobile Phones
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FDA Update for Mobile Phones
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for
Devices and Radiological Health Consumer Update on
Mobile Phones
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. This 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 known
whether, to what extent, 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 picture of the biological 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 unsafe. However, the available scientific evidence