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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.
What about wireless phone
interference with medical equipment?
Radio frequency energy (RF) from wireless phones can interact with some
electronic devices. For this reason, 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 FDA, medical
device manufacturers, and many other groups, was completed on late 2000.
This standard will allow manufacturers to ensure that cardiac pacemakers and
defibrillators are safe from wireless 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 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 devices. Should harmful interference be found to occur,
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