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Appendix
Appendix
69
on the same phone. SAR is the measurement of
the amount of energy absorbed in tissue, either
by the whole body or a small part of the body. It
is measured in watts/kg (or milliwatts/g) of matter.
This measurement is used to determine whether a
wireless phone complies with safety guidelines.
9. What steps can I take to reduce my exposure to
radiofrequency 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 prob-
ably very small. But if you are concerned about
avoiding even potential risks, you can take a few
simple steps to mini-mize 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 dra-
matically 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 expo-
sure to radiofrequency energy (RF), the measures
described above would apply to children and teen-
agers 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 nation-
al 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 recom-
mendation in December 2000. They noted that no
evidence exists that using a wireless phone causes
brain tumors or other ill effects. Their recommen-
dation 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?
Radiofrequency energy (RF) from wireless phones
can interact with some electronic devices. For this
reason, FDA helped develop a detailed test meth-
od 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 wire-
less phone EMI. 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 devic-
es. Should harmful interference be found to occur,
FDA will conduct testing to assess the interference
and work to resolve the problem.
12. Where can I find additional information?
For additional information, please refer to the fol-
lowing resources:
• FDA web page on wireless phones
(http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/)
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF
Safety Program
(http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety)
• International Commission on Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection (http://www.icnirp.de)
• World Health Organization (WHO) International
EMF Project (http://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/)
• National Radiological Protection Board (UK)
(http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/)
H �
AVOID POTENTIAL HEARING LOSS.
Prolonged exposure to loud sounds (including
music) is the most common cause of prevent-
able hearing loss. Some scientific research sug-
gests that using portable audio devices, such as
portable music players and cellular telephones,
at high volume settings for long durations may
lead to permanent noise-induced hearing loss.
This includes the use of headphones (including
headsets, earbuds and Bluetooth®
This includes the use of headphones (including
This includes the use of headphones (including
or other wire-
less devices). Exposure to very loud sound has also
been associated in some studies with tinnitus (a
ringing in the ear), hypersensitivity to sound and
distorted hearing. Individual susceptibility to noise-
induced hearing loss and other potential hearing
problems varies.
The amount of sound produced by a portable
audio device varies depending on the nature of
the sound, the device, the device set-tings and the
headphones. You should follow some common-
sense recommendations when using any portable
audio device:
• Set the volume in a quiet environment and
select the lowest volume at which you can hear
adequately.
• When using headphones, turn the volume
down if you cannot hear the people speaking
near you or if the person sitting next to you can
hear what you are listening to.
• Do not turn the volume up to block out noisy