Samsung SCH-T300 - Manual (Page 169)

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What is FDA's role concerning the safety of mobile phones?
Under the law, FDA does not review the safety of radiation-emitting consumer products
such as mobile phones before marketing, as it does with new drugs or medical devices.
However, the agency has authority to take action if mobile phones are shown to emit
radiation at a level that is hazardous to the user. In such a case, FDA could require the
manufacturers of mobile 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 at this time, FDA
has urged the mobile phone industry to take a number of steps to assure public safety.
The agency has recommended that the industry:
• support needed research into possible biological effects of RF of the type emitted by
mobile phones;
• design mobile phones in a way that minimizes any RF exposure to the user that is not
necessary for device function; and
• cooperate in providing mobile phone users with the best possible information on what
is known about possible effects of mobile phone use on human health.
At the same time, FDA belongs to an interagency working group of the federal agencies
that have responsibility for different aspects of mobile phone safety to ensure a
coordinated effort at the federal level. These agencies are:
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Federal Communications Commission
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Institutes of Health also participates in this group.
In the absence of conclusive information about any possible risk, what can
concerned individuals do?
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 people are concerned about avoiding even potential risks,
there are simple steps they can take to do so. For example, time is a key factor in how
much exposure a person receives. Those persons who spend long periods of time on
their hand-held mobile phones could consider holding lengthy conversations on
conventional phones and reserving the hand-held models for shorter conversations or
for situations when other types of phones are not available.
People who must conduct extended conversations in their cars every day could switch to
a type of mobile phone that places more distance between their bodies and the