( 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 . More Tech : Be careful when diagnosing your ailments online . While people still often use cell phones for talking , these devices have evolved into small portable computers and multipurpose tools . It 's now common to see people using cell phones as media players kept in a pocket and used with earbuds or a wireless headset , or held in the hand while checking Facebook or getting directions from Google Maps . `` Current testing requirements for mobile phones may not identify the maximum radio frequency ( RF ) energy exposure when tested against the body , '' said the report . `` FCC testing requirements state that mobile phone tests should be conducted with belt-clips and holsters attached to the phone or at a predetermined distance from the body . `` By testing mobile phones only when at a distance from the body , FCC may not be identifying the maximum exposure , since some users may hold a mobile phone directly against the body while in use . '' The FCC allows cell phones and other wireless devices to emit up to 1.6 watts per kilogram , averaged over 1 gram of tissue . That 's the maximum specific absorption rate ( SAR ) , a measurement of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed into the body -- information that phone manufacturers must provide to U.S. consumers . FCC developed this limit back in 1996 , based on input from several federal health and safety agencies . A decade after the FCC published that standard , the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , a global organization that sets standards for electrical devices , published its own recommendation for a maximum SAR of 2.0 . More Tech : Couples urged online to 'make a baby ' Thursday . Since then the FCC 's lower limit has remained in force , which complicates matters for phone manufacturers and may increase costs to consumers . The GAO noted : `` Maintaining the current U.S. limit may result in additional costs for manufacturers and impact phone design in a way that could limit performance and functionality . '' To comply with the FCC 's limit , some manufacturers also may have to disable features on phones sold in the U.S. , according to the GAO . Some consumer groups told the GAO they do n't think the info provided by federal agency websites about mobile phone health effects is sufficiently precautionary . Also , some said they 'd like the FCC website to mention the World Health Organization 's controversial reclassification last year of radio frequency energy exposure as `` possibly carcinogenic . '' The GAO looked into the issue of revisiting cell phone radiation standards at the request of three high-ranking congressional Democrats : Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Anna Eshoo and Henry Waxman of California . More Tech : Android races past Apple in smartphone market share .
The FCC is asked Wednesday to consider updating its cell phone radiation standard . The new standard would allow U.S. cell phones to emit up to 20 % more radiation . The question was presented to the FCC in a new Government Accountability Office report . It also asked the FCC to test for cell phones being used next to the body , not just at the ear .