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phone every day, you could place more
distance between your body and the source
of the RF, since the exposure level drops off
dramatically with distance. For example, you
could use a headset and carry the wireless
phone away from your body or use a wireless
phone connected to a remote antenna. Again,
the scientific data does not demonstrate that
wireless phones are harmful. But if you are
concerned about the RF exposure from these
products, you can use measures like those
described above to reduce your RF exposure
from wireless phone use.
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 on scientific
evidence that any health hazard exists.
11. What about wireless phone interfer-
ence 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.
For Your Safety
