93
Safe
ty
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 energy (RF)
from wireless phones can interact
with some electronic devices. For
this reason, the 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 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
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