According to the FCC, phones sold in the U.S. can't have a specific absorption rate (SAR) higher than 1.6 watts per kilogram. While there remains no clear evidence of serious health harm from wireless device use, concerns among the "electromagnetically sensitive" have run rampant in recent years. As such, there have been several calls for the FCC to update their sixteen-year-old standards (including from the GAO), and last year FCC boss Julius Genachowski stated the agency would be taking a closer look at their guidelines.

Nine months later and the FCC says they'll be conducting a review of their policies on RF testing. They're not changing their above-cited SAR threshold, though they are making a few smaller changes, like stating that your ear is now considered an "extremity" and is now able to absorb more radiation without running afoul of FCC rules.

The wireless industry, wary of additional regulations, was quick to issue a statement reminding everyone that the FDA, GAO, and the National Institutes of Health have all concluded that there's no health threat from cellular phone use.

Non-ionizing radiation is believed to be generally harmless in the kind of small doses delivered by cell phone, though mankind has been wrong more than a few times historically when it comes to tightly-held scientific or environmental beliefs, so it's probably good to never get too cocky. Still, much of the concern has been driven by the kind of people you might classify as crackpot-esque.

Those interested in commenting have 90 days to speak their mind over at the FCC website as the agency seeks public and scientific input on the review.