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What about wireless phone interference with medical equipment?
Radiofrequency energy (RF) from wireless phones can interact with some electronic devices.
For this reason, 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 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.
FDA has tested hearing aids for interference from handheld wireless phones and helped
develop a voluntary standard sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE). This standard specifies test methods and performance requirements for
hearing aids and wireless phones so that no interference occurs when a person uses a
"compatible" phone and a "compatible" hearing aid at the same time. This standard was
approved by the IEEE in 2000.
FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless phones for possible interactions with other
medical devices. Should harmful interference be found to occur, FDA will conduct testing to
assess the interference and work to resolve the problem.
Which other federal agencies have responsibilities related to potential RF
health effects?
Certain agencies in the Federal Government have been involved in monitoring, researching
or regulating issues related to human exposure to RF radiation. These agencies include the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Defense (DOD).
By authority of the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968, the Center for
Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the FDA develops performance standards for the
emission of radiation from electronic products including X-ray equipment, other medical
Section 5A: Safety
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