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10. What about children using wireless
phones?
The scientific evidence does not show
a danger to users of wireless phones,
including children and teenagers.
If you want to take steps to lower
exposure to radio frequency(RF)
energy, the measures described above
would apply to children and teenagers
using wireless phones. Reducing
the time of wireless phone use and
increasing the distance between the
user and the RF source will reduce
RF exposure. Some groups sponsored
by other national governments have
advised that children be discouraged
from using wireless phones at all.
For example, the government in the
United Kingdom distributed leaflets
containing such a recommendation in
December 2000. They noted that no
evidence exists that using a wireless
phone causes brain tumors or other ill
effects. Their recommendation to limit
wireless phone use by children was
strictly precautionary; it was not based
Safety Guidelines
on scientific evidence that any health
hazard exists.
11. What about wireless phone
interference with medical equipment?
Radio frequency(RF) energy from
wireless phones can interact with
some electronic devices. For this
reason, the FDA helped develop a
detailed test method to measure
electromagnetic interference (EMI)
of implanted cardiac pacemakers
and defibrillators from wireless
telephones. This test method is now
part of a standard sponsored by the
Association for the Advancement of
Medical instrumentation (AAMI). The
final draft, a joint effort by the FDA,
medical device manufacturers, and
many other groups, was completed
in late 2000. This standard will allow
manufacturers to ensure that cardiac
pacemakers and defibrillators are safe
from wireless phone EMI. The FDA has
tested hearing aids for interference
from handheld wireless phones and
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