283Section 12: Health and Safety InformationThis section outlines the safety precautions associated withusing your phone. The terms “mobile device” or “cell phone”are used in this section to refer to your phone. Read thisinformation before using your mobile device.Exposure to Radio Frequency (RF)SignalsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has publishedinformation for consumers relating to Radio Frequency (RF)exposure from wireless phones. The FDA publicationincludes the following information:Do cell phones pose a health hazard?Many people are concerned that cell phone radiation willcause cancer or other serious health hazards. The weight ofscientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any healthproblems.Cell phones emit low levels of Radio Frequency (RF) energy.Over the past 15 years, scientists have conducted hundredsof studies looking at the biological effects of the radiofrequency energy emitted by cell phones. While someresearchers have reported biological changes associatedwith RF energy, these studies have failed to be replicated.The majority of studies published have failed to show anassociation between exposure to radio frequency from a cellphone and health problems.The low levels of RF cell phones emit while in use are in themicrowave frequency range. They also emit RF atsubstantially reduced time intervals when in the stand-bymode. Whereas high levels of RF can produce health effects(by heating tissue), exposure to low level RF that does notproduce heating effects causes no known adverse healtheffects.The biological effects of radio frequency energy should notbe confused with the effects from other types ofelectromagnetic energy.Very high levels of electromagnetic energy, such as is foundin X-rays and gamma rays, can ionize biological tissues.Ionization is a process where electrons are stripped awayfrom their normal locations in atoms and molecules. It canpermanently damage biological tissues including DNA, thegenetic material.
