Table of Contents
Advertisement
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 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 Electro Magnetic 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
59
Advertisement
Table of Contents
