TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Status of Research on the Safety of Cellular Telephones

GAO Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives

November, 1994

Letter from Keith O. Fultz, Assistant Comptroller General for GAO
Executive Summary
Introduction

• Cellular Communications Equipment and Technology
• Federal Regulation
• Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

• Available Scientific Data Are Insufficient to Assess Health Risks of Cellular Telephones
• Federal Research Has Been Limited
• Industry Is Undertaking Research on Safety of Cellular Telephones
• Conclusions

• FDA is Working With Cellular Telephone Manufacturers to Minimize Exposure to Radiation
• EPA is Assessing Status of Scientific Knowledge on prolonged Exposure to This Type of Radiation
• FCC Depends on Other Agencies in Developing Health-Related Regulations
• Conclusions
• Recommendation
• Agency Comments

• Appendix I: Analog and Digital Transmission Signals
• Appendix II: Radio-Frequency Radiation Researchers and Scientists Consulted for this Report
• Appendix III: Examples of Research Indicating Biological and Behavioral Effects
• Appendix IV: Selected Research Relevant to Health Risks of Radio-Frequency Radiation
• Appendix V: Evolution of FCC’s Environmental Rules

Major Contributors to This Report:

J. Erin Bozik, Barry T. Hill, Paul J. O'Neill, E. Jerry Seigler, Marnie S. Shaul, Phyllis Turner, Mindi G. Weisenbloom.

Abbreviations:

ANSI American national Standards Institute, Inc.
CDMA code division multiple access
CTIA Cellular Telephone Industry Association
DOD Department of Defense
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FDA Food and Drug Administration
FCC Federal Communications Commission
GAO General Accounting Office
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
MHz megahertz
mW milliwatt
NCI National Cancer Institute
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
NIH National Institutes of Health
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
TDMA time division multiple access