Federal law requires the FDA to undertake specific actions to protect Americans from unnecessary exposure to RF radiation from electronic devices. The agency is doing none of those things.
Back in 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-602, “An Act to Amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the protection of the public health from radiation emissions from electronic products.” In its Declaration of Purpose, Congress wrote, “The Congress hereby declares that the public health and safety must be protected from the dangers of electronic product radiation.”
Congress went on to prescribe certain mandatory activities which FDA is required to carry out (see box at right). These are not optional. They are not dependent on any “finding” by the FDA or subject to interpretation. This is black-letter law, pure and simple.
For more than fifty years, the FDA has ignored this Congressional mandate. Despite the rapid and profound proliferation of wireless devices around the world, the agency is not actively evaluating the many ways people are being exposed to non-ionizing radiation, developing techniques to reduce those exposures, or warning the public about potential harm from exposure.
On May 24, 2023, Americans for Responsible Technology and other petitioners filed a formal Citizens Petition with the FDA, demanding that the agency obey the law and undertake the clear requirements which Congress established for protecting Americans from all kinds of radiation, including radiofrequency (RF) radiation from the large and growing list of wireless devices.
