Are Cell Phones Safe?

Gary Zeman, ScD, CHP

Cellular phone technology, including personal communications systems (PCS), is designed to be safe for both users and for people living near base station antennas. Cellular phones are actually small radios that transmit signals to and from base station antennas located on towers or buildings in the nearby neighborhood. Cellular phones use low-power radio signals, even weaker than CB, police, or fire radios.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) sets safety standards for human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy in the United States. Exposure standards for RF energy are threshold standards. Unlike ionizing radiation, which many people believe to act cumulatively even at low exposure levels, RF exposure at low levels is not considered a cumulative hazard. Threshold standards define the level of RF energy above which there may be health hazards and below which there have been no reported harmful effects. ANSI conservatively set its maximum permissible exposure levels for RF energy at one-tenth (or less) of the threshold for human health effects. The maximum permissible exposure levels for protection against RF energy recommended by ANSI are comparable to those set in other countries. Government agencies recognize and generally accept the ANSI RF safety standard (ANSI/IEEE C95.1).

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), regulates cellular phone technology. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and many states also have responsibility for RF safety. Cellular phones and cellular phone base stations have been shown to meet the RF safety standards and to comply with FCC regulations in this area. The consensus of scientific experts is that RF exposure from cellular phones and cellular base station antennas, meeting the maximum permissible exposure levels set in the safety standards, is safe for all.

For more information:

1. The FCC has recently revised and reissued its Bulletin 56 on "Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields."
    
2. FDA has issued statements on health concerns and on cellular phone interference with medical devices such as pacemakers. The FDA statements are indexed at the FDA Consumer Information Web page.
    
3. OSHA provides information and links to sites on RF safety at its Web site.