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8. Do wireless phone accessories that claim to
shield the head from RF radiation work?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF
emissions from wireless phones, there is no reason
to believe that accessories that claim to shield the
head from those emissions reduce risks. Some
products that claim to shield the user from RF
absorption use special phone cases, while others
involve nothing more than a metallic accessory
attached to the phone. Studies have shown that
these products generally do not work as advertised.
Unlike “hand-free” kits, these so-called “shields” may
interfere with proper operation of the phone. The
phone may be forced to boost its power to
compensate, leading to an increase in RF absorption.
In February 2002, the Federal trade Commission
(FTC) charged two companies that sold devices that
claimed to protect wireless phone users from
radiation with making false and unsubstantiated
claims. According to FTC, these defendants lacked a
reasonable basis to substantiate their claim.
9. 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 in late 2000. This standard will allow
manufacturers to ensure that cardiac pacemakers
and defibrillators are safe from wireless phone EMI.
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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, FDA
will conduct testing to assess the interference and
work to resolve the problem.
10.What are the results of the research done
already?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting
results, and many studies have suffered from flaws
in their research methods. Animal experiments
investigating the effects of radio frequency energy
(RF) exposures characteristic of wireless phones
have yielded conflicting results that often cannot be
repeated in other laboratories. A few animal studies,
however, have suggested that low levels of RF could
accelerate the development of cancer in laboratory
animals. However, many of the studies that showed
increased tumor development used animals that had
been genetically engineered or treated with cancer-
causing chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to
develop cancer in the absence of RF exposure. Other
studies exposed the animals to RF for up to 22 hours
per day. These conditions are not similar to the
conditions under which people use wireless phones,
so we don t know with certainty what the results of
such studies mean for human health.
