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9. What steps can I take to reduce my exposure to radio
frequency energy from my wireless phone?
If there is a risk from these products — and at this point
we do not know that there is — it is probably very small.
But if you are concerned about avoiding even potential
risks, you can take a few simple steps to minimize your
exposure to Radio Frequency energy (RF). Since time is a
key factor in how much exposure a person receives,
reducing the amount of time spent using a wireless phone
will reduce RF exposure.
If you must conduct extended conversations by wireless
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 do 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 energy (RF), 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 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
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