After years of urging by the Environmental Working Group and others, the FCC very recently announced their plan to review cell Phone Radiation Standards, which have not been revised since 1996. The revision will involve the FCC reaching out to health professionals and other agencies for current data on how radiation from cell phones affects the human body.

Every cell phone has a specific absorption rate (SAR) that refers to the amount of Radio Frequency Energy that the body absorbs when a person is using the handset. The current limit in the United States is set at a maximum SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram. Different phones have different SAR values, and those rates can be affected by factors like transmission band and phone model.

Different bodies may absorb radio Frequency Energy at different rates as well, with children being especially susceptible due to their thinner skulls and still-developing bodies. Most available SAR research has been done on voice calls rather than data usage.