(CNN) -- The U.S. government is being asked to update its 16-year-old cell phone radiation standard to bring it in line with current research and the way people use smartphones. A new Government Accountability Office report on Wednesday asked the Federal Communications Commission to consider updating the standard, which limits the amount of radiation a phone emits. The report recommended following an international standard, which would allow U.S. cell phones to emit up to 20% more radiation than currently allowed. The GAO also asked the FCC to consider updating its cell phone testing procedures to account for phones being used while next to the body -- such as in a pocket or held in your hand -- rather than only testing how phones emit radiation when held up to your ear.
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The FCC is asked Wednesday to consider updating its cell phone radiation standard
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The new standard would allow U.S. cell phones to emit up to 20% more radiation
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The question was presented to the FCC in a new Government Accountability Office report
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It also asked the FCC to test for cell phones being used next to the body, not just at the ear
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"By testing mobile phones only when at a distance from the body, @placeholder may not be identifying the maximum exposure, since some users may hold a mobile phone directly against the body while in use."