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Safety Guidelines
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
98
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 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.
The FDA continues to monitor the use
of wireless phones for possible
interactions with other medical
devices. Should harmful interference
be found to occur, the FDA will
conduct testing to assess the
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