Statements from other agencies
■ Message from the CTIA
(Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association)
to all users of mobile phones
© 2001 Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. All Rights Reserved.
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036.
Phone: (202) 785-0081
Safety is the most important call you will ever make.
A Guide to Safe and Responsible Wireless Phone Use
Tens of millions of people in the U.S. today take advantage of the unique
combination of convenience, safety and value delivered by the wireless telephone.
Quite simply, the wireless phone gives people the powerful ability to communicate
by voice—almost anywhere, anytime—with the boss, with a client, with the kids, with
emergency personnel or even with the police. Each year, Americans make billions of
calls from their wireless phones, and the numbers are rapidly growing. But an
important responsibility accompanies those benefits, one that every wireless phone
user must uphold. When driving a car, driving is your first responsibility. A wireless
phone can be an invaluable tool, but good judgment must be exercised at all times
while driving a motor vehicle—whether on the phone or not.The basic lessons are
ones we all learned as teenagers. Driving requires alertness, caution and courtesy. It
requires a heavy dose of basic common sense—keep your head up, keep your eyes on
the road, check your mirrors frequently and watch out for other drivers. It requires
obeying all traffic signs and signals and staying within the speed limit. It means
using seatbelts and requiring other passengers to do the same. But with wireless
phone use, driving safely means a little more. This brochure is a call to wireless phone
users everywhere to make safety their first priority when behind the wheel of a car.
Wireless telecommunications is keeping us in touch, simplifying our lives, protecting
us in emergencies and providing opportunities to help others in need. When it comes
to the use of wireless phones, safety is your most important call.
Wireless Phone "Safety Tips"
Below are safety tips to follow while driving and using a wireless phone which
should be easy to remember.
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1. Get to know your wireless phone and its features such as speed dial and redial.
Carefully read your instruction manual and learn to take advantage of valuable
features most phones offer, including automatic redial and memory. Also, work
to memorize the phone keypad so you can use the speed dial function without
taking your attention off the road.
2. When available, use a hands-free device. A number of hands-free wireless phone
accessories are readily available today. Whether you choose an installed
mounted device for your wireless phone or a speaker phone accessory, take
advantage of these devices if available to you.
3. Position your wireless phone within easy reach. Make sure you place your
wireless phone within easy reach and where you can grab it without removing
your eyes from the road. If you get an incoming call at an inconvenient time,
if possible, let your voice mail answer it for you.
4. Suspend conversations during hazardous driving conditions or situations. Let
the person you are speaking with know you are driving; if necessary, suspend
the call in heavy traffic or hazardous weather conditions. Rain, sleet, snow and
ice can be hazardous, but so is heavy traffic. As a driver, your first responsibility
is to pay attention to the road.
5. Do not take notes or look up phone numbers while driving. If you are reading
an address book or business card, or writing a "to do" list while driving a car,
you are not watching where you are going. It’s common sense. Don’t get
caught in a dangerous situation because you are reading or writing and not
paying attention to the road or nearby vehicles.
6. Dial sensibly and assess the traffic; if possible, place calls when you are not
moving or before pulling into traffic. Try to plan your calls before you begin
your trip or attempt to coincide your calls with times you may be stopped at a
stop sign, red light or otherwise stationary. But if you need to dial while
driving, follow this simple tip—dial only a few numbers, check the road and
your mirrors, then continue.
7. Do not engage in stressful or emotional conversations that may be distracting.
Stressful or emotional conversations and driving do not mix—they are distracting
and even dangerous when you are behind the wheel of a car. Make people you
are talking with aware you are driving and if necessary, suspend conversations
which have the potential to divert your attention from the road.
8. Use your wireless phone to call for help. Your wireless phone is one of the
greatest tools you can own to protect yourself and your family in dangerous
situations—with your phone at your side, help is only three numbers away.
Dial 9-1-1 or other local emergency number in the case of fire, traffic accident,
road hazard or medical emergency. Remember, it is a free call on your
wireless phone!
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9. Use your wireless phone to help others in emergencies. Your wireless phone
provides you a perfect opportunity to be a "Good Samaritan" in your community.
If you see an auto accident, crime in progress or other serious emergency
where lives are in danger, call 9-1-1 or other local emergency number, as you
would want others to do for you.
10. Call roadside assistance or a special wireless nonemergency assistance number
when necessary. Certain situations you encounter while driving may require
attention, but are not urgent enough to merit a call for emergency services.
But you still can use your wireless phone to lend a hand. If you see a broken-
down vehicle posing no serious hazard, a broken traffic signal, a minor traffic
accident where no one appears injured or a vehicle you know to be stolen, call
roadside assistance or other special non-emergency wireless number.
Careless, distracted individuals and people driving irresponsibly represent a hazard
to everyone on the road. Since 1984, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association and the wireless industry have conducted educational outreach to
inform wireless phone users of their responsibilities as safe drivers and good citizens.
As we approach a new century, more and more of us will take advantage of the
benefits of wireless telephones. And, as we take to the roads, we all have a
responsibility to drive safely.The wireless industry reminds you to use your phone
safely when driving.For more information, please call 1-888-901-SAFE.
For updates: http://www.wow-com.com/consumer/issues/driving/articles.cfm?ID=85
■ Message from the FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides the following
consumer information about wireless phones.
See http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/ for updated information.
Do wireless phones pose a health hazard?
The available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are
associated with using wireless phones. There is no proof, however, that wireless
phones are absolutely safe. Wireless phones emit low levels of radiofrequency
energy (RF) in the microwave range while being used. They also emit very low levels
of RF when in the stand-by mode. Whereas high levels of RF can produce health
effects (by heating tissue), exposure to low level RF that does not produce heating
effects causes no known adverse health effects. Many studies of low level RF
exposures have not found any biological effects. Some studies have suggested that
some biological effects may occur, but such findings have not been confirmed by
additional research. In some cases, other researchers have had difficulty in
reproducing those studies, or in determining the reasons for inconsistent results.
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What is FDA's role concerning the safety of wireless phones?
Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radiation-emitting consumer
products such as wireless phones before they can be sold, as it does with new
drugs or medical devices. However, the agency has authority to take action if
wireless phones are shown to emit radiofrequency energy (RF) at a level that is
hazardous to the user. In such a case, FDA could require the manufacturers of
wireless phones to notify users of the health hazard and to repair, replace or
recall the phones so that the hazard no longer exists.
Although the existing scientific data do not justify FDA regulatory actions, FDA has
urged the wireless phone industry to take a number of steps, including the following:
• Support needed research into possible biological 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 function; and
• Cooperate in providing users of wireless phones with the best possible
information on possible effects of wireless phone use on human health.
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:
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Federal Communications Commission
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health participates in some interagency working group
activities, as well.
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 limit RF exposure. FCC relies on FDA
and other health agencies for safety questions about wireless phones.
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 primary subject of the safety questions discussed in this document.
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What is FDA doing to find out more about the possible health effects of wireless
phone RF?
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 important questions about the effects of exposure to
radiofrequency energy (RF). FDA has been a leading participant in the World Health
Organization International Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) Project since its inception
in 1996. An influential result of this work has been the development of a detailed
agenda of research needs that has driven the establishment of new research
programs around the world. The Project has also helped develop a series of public
information documents on EMF issues. FDA and the Cellular Telecommunications &
Internet Association (CTIA) have a formal Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) to do research on wireless phone safety. FDA provides the
scientific oversight, obtaining input from experts in government, industry, and
academic organizations. CTIA-funded research is conducted through contracts to
independent investigators. The initial research will include both laboratory studies
and studies of wireless phone users. The CRADA will also include a broad
assessment of additional research needs in the context of the latest research
developments around the world.
What steps can I take to reduce my exposure to radiofrequency energy from my
wireless phone?
If there is a risk from these products--and at this point we do not know that there
is--it is probably very small. But if you are concerned about avoiding even potential
risks, you can take a few simple steps to minimize your exposure to radiofrequency
energy (RF). Since time is a key factor in how much exposure a person receives,
reducing the amount of time spent using a wireless phone will reduce RF exposure.
If you must conduct extended conversations by wireless phone every day, you
could place more distance between your body and the source of the RF, since the
exposure level drops off dramatically with distance. For example, you could use a
headset and carry the wireless phone away from your body or use a wireless
phone connected to a remote antenna
Again, the scientific data do not demonstrate that wireless phones are harmful. But if
you are concerned about the RF exposure from these products, you can use measures
like those described above to reduce your RF exposure from wireless phone use.
What about children using wireless phones?
The scientific evidence does not show a danger to users of wireless phones, including
children and teenagers. If you want to take steps to lower exposure to radiofrequency
energy (RF), the measures described above would apply to children and teenagers
using wireless phones. Reducing the time of wireless phone use and increasing the
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distance between the user and the RF source will reduce RF exposure. Some groups
sponsored by other national governments have advised that children be discouraged
from using wireless phones at all. For example, the government in the United Kingdom
distributed leaflets containing such a recommendation in December 2000. They noted
that no evidence exists that using a wireless phone causes brain tumors or other ill
effects. Their recommendation to limit wireless phone use by children was strictly
precautionary; it was not based on scientific evidence that any health hazard exists.
Do hands-free kits for wireless phones reduce risks from exposure to RF emissions?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF emissions from wireless phones,
there is no reason to believe that hands-free kits reduce risks. Hands-free kits can
be used with wireless phones for convenience and comfort. These systems reduce
the absorption of RF energy in the head because the phone, which is the source
of the RF emissions, will not be placed against the head. On the other hand, if the
phone is mounted against the waist or other part of the body during use, then
that part of the body will absorb more RF energy. Wireless phones marketed in
the U.S. are required to meet safety requirements regardless of whether they are
used against the head or against the body. Either configuration should result in
compliance with the safety limit.
Do wireless phone accessories that claim to shield the head from RF radiation work?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF emissions from wireless phones,
there is no reason to believe that accessories that claim to shield the head from
those emissions reduce risks. Some products that claim to shield the user from RF
absorption use special phone cases, while others involve nothing more than a
metallic accessory attached to the phone. Studies have shown that these products
generally do not work as advertised. Unlike "hand-free" kits, these so-called "shields"
may interfere with proper operation of the phone. The phone may be forced to boost
its power to compensate, leading to an increase in RF absorption. In February 2002,
the Federal trade Commission (FTC) charged two companies that sold devices that
claimed to protect wireless phone users from radiation with making false and
unsubstantiated claims. According to FTC, these defendants lacked a reasonable
basis to substantiate their claim.
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,
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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 determine 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.
Updated July 29, 2003
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