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Section 4: Safety Guidelines and Warranty Information
122 4A: Safety
to RF radiation. These agencies include the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the
Department of Defense (DOD).
By authority of the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968,
the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the FDA
develops performance standards for the emission of radiation from
electronic products including X-ray equipment, other medical devices,
television sets, microwave ovens, laser products and sunlamps. The
CDRH established a product performance standard for microwave ovens
in 1971 limiting the amount of RF leakage from ovens. However, the
CDRH has not adopted performance standards for other RF-emitting
products. The FDA is, however, the lead federal health agency in
monitoring the latest research developments and advising other agencies
with respect to the safety of RF-emitting products used by the public, such
as cellular and PCS phones.
The FDA's microwave oven standard is an emission standard (as opposed
to an exposure standard) that allows specific levels of microwave leakage
(measured at five centimeters from the oven surface). The standard also
requires ovens to have two independent interlock systems that prevent the
oven from generating microwaves the moment that the latch is released
or the door of the oven is opened. The FDA has stated that ovens that meet
its standards and are used according to the manufacturer's
recommendations are safe for consumer and industrial use. More
information is available from:
www.fda.gov/cdrh.
The EPA has, in the past, considered developing federal guidelines for
public exposure to RF radiation. However, EPA activities related to RF
safety and health are presently limited to advisory functions. For
example, the EPA now chairs an Inter-agency Radio Frequency Working
Group, which coordinates RF health-related activities among the various
federal agencies with health or regulatory responsibilities in this area.
OSHA is responsible for protecting workers from exposure to hazardous
chemical and physical agents. In 1971, OSHA issued a protection guide