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A A p p p p e e n n d d i i x x
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF
emissions from wireless phones, there is no reason to
believe that accessories that claim to shield the head
from those emissions reduce risks. Some products that
claim to shield the user from RF absorption use special
phone cases, while others involve nothing more than a
metallic accessory attached to the phone. Studies have
shown that these products generally do not work as
advertised. Unlike "hand-free" kits, these so-called
"shields" may interfere with proper operation of the
phone. The phone may be forced to boost its power to
compensate, leading to an increase in RF absorption. In
February 2002, the Federal trade Commission (FTC)
charged two companies that sold devices that claimed to
protect wireless phone users from radiation with making
false and unsubstantiated claims. According to FTC,
these defendants lacked a reasonable basis to
substantiate their claim.
9. 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.
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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 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.
10. What are the results of the research done already?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting
results, and many studies have suffered from flaws in
their research methods. Animal experiments
investigating the effects of radiofrequency energy (RF)
exposures characteristic of wireless phones have yielded
conflicting results that often cannot be repeated in other
laboratories. A few animal studies, however, have
suggested that low levels of RF could accelerate the
development of cancer in laboratory animals. However,
many of the studies that showed increased tumor
development used animals that had been genetically
engineered or treated with cancer-causing chemicals so
as to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the absence
of RF exposure. Other studies exposed the animals to RF
for up to 22 hours per day. These conditions are not
similar to the conditions under which people use
wireless phones, so we don t know with certainty what
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