Motorola Cell Phon - Manual (Page 148)

148
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 radio frequency
energy (i.e., radio frequency radiation) in the
microwave range while being used. They also emit
very low levels of radio frequency 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 does not demonstrate any
adverse health effects associated with the use of
mobile phones.
What kinds of phones are in question?
Questions have been raised about hand-held
mobile phones, the kind that have a built-in antenna
that is positioned close to the user's head during
normal telephone conversation. These types of
mobile phones are of concern because of the short