User's Manual

can provide absolute findings about long-term

exposures since the average period of phone use in

these studies was approximately three years.

4. What kinds of phones are the subjects of this

update?

Here the term “wireless phone” refers to handheld

wireless phones with built-in antennas, often called

“cell”, “mobile”, or “PCS” phones. These types of

wireless phones can expose the user to measurable

Radio Frequency (RF) energy because of the short

distance between the phone and the user’s head.

These RF exposures are limited by FCC safety

guidelines that were developed with the advice of the

FDA and other federal health and safety agencies.

When the phone is located at greater distances from

the user, the exposure to RF is drastically reduced

due to a person's RF exposure rapidly decreasing

with increasing distance from the source.

The so-called “cordless phones,” which have a base

unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house,

typically operate at far lower power levels, thus

producing RF exposures far below the FCC safety

limits.

5. What is the FDA doing to find out more about

the possible health effects of wireless phone RF?

The FDA is working with the U.S. National Toxicology

Program and with groups of investigators around the

world to ensure that high-priority animal studies are

conducted to address concerns about the effects of

exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) energy.

The FDA has been a leading participant in the World