Dateline: 05/20/02

Can using a cell phone damage your health or not? A new joint-effort Web site from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) attempts to answer this troubling question.

The Web site, Cell Phone Facts (http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/), provides information from both government agencies involved in the regulation of cell phones (also known as wireless, mobile, or PCS phones) and their base stations. It provides a review of how cell phones work and answers questions raised about their safety. It also includes a link to the FCC's web site that contains additional information about radiofrequency safety as it relates to other sources of RF energy. 

Most concerns over cell phone safety center on the effects of radiofrequency (RC) energy waves produced by the phones when held close to the user's head. While these RF waves have been blamed for causing health problems from cancer to the boogie-woogie flu, the FCC/FDA Web site stresses that no scientific evidence has been published demonstrating harm from short- term exposures to low levels of RF energy. 

FCC industry regulations limit the amount of RF energy that may be produced by a cell phone to safe levels far below those determined by scientists to have the potential for an adverse effect on humans. In addition, says the FCC, studies are now underway to look at the possible risks of long-term RF exposures. The results of any such studies will also be posted on the web site and both agencies will take follow-up action as appropriate.

The Cell Phone Facts Web site summarizes the government's safety standards for cell phones and describes the role of each agency in RF safety regulation. It also explains what RF energy is, how it is used, and how it is measured; how the current safety standards were established; the role of local and state governments; and where to obtain additional information on related topics from other sources. The FDA and the FCC will periodically update the website in response to queries and comments received from the public and as new information becomes available.

Consumer Information
Justified or not, consumer concerns over cell phone health risks have given rise to a number of accessory products marketed with claims of protecting cell phone users from radiofrequency radiation. In February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed charges of false advertising against two of the leading makers of such devices. 

According to the FTC, Stock Value 1, Inc. and Comstar Communications, Inc. both misrepresented their products by claiming that they protected the health of cell phone users by blocking up to 99 percent of radiation and other electromagnetic energy emitted by their phones.

"These companies are using a shield of misrepresentation to block consumers from the facts," said J. Howard Beales III, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection in an FTC press release. "There is no scientific evidence that their products work as they claim." [For more details, see: FTC Goes After Two Cell Phone Phonies]

For more information about potential health risks of exposure to radiofrequency energy, see: 

FCC Bulletin 56: Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields